Non-GMC CORVAIR??

R

richard waters

New member
Feb 8, 1999
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What was so good about them? I had a '60 Monza as my first car. I spent
all my free time working on it (sort of like the GMC I guess). The
carburetors would ice up frequently in the winter forcing me to stop so that
they could thaw out. It had a very lame gasoline fired heater. Well that
thing couldn't warm my toes, much less the rear seat. I can remember
sticking my toes into the heater outlet on a cold day so they would get sort
of warm. I had to carry blankets for my passengers in the winter time.
The defroster barely worked. Maybe the newer ones were better.

Plus I could never get the valve lifters to stop making "sewing machine"
like clicking noises. Gee sort of like the noise my GMC OEM hubcaps now
make. There were no seat belts as I recall. I had to replace the blower
bearing twice in a year and that was a real fun project since the bearing
was a pressed fit and I didn't have a press. I could never get the rocker
covers to stop leaking oil. On and on....

It did have a positive though. I got to learn a lot about working on cars
and I guess that helps me to this day with the GMC. I will admit the
Corvair was sort of an innovative design. Sort of like the GMC. I liked my
'66 Mustang a lot better.

Richard Waters
1976 PB, Troy, MI

> On Tue, 04 Apr 2000 05:55:22 -0700 "Steven D. Ferguson"

> > (lowly Corvair mechanic with so few cfm they can be counted on
> > fingers)
> > Brent,
> > One of my all time most favorite cars!
> > Steve
> >
> Ditto on that... I'm down to one 65 corsa conv right, had five at one
> time.
> bill
 
I think we all tend to remember the good more than the bad. Isn't that what
they call nostalgia?
- ----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Waters
To:
Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2000 12:28 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: Non-GMC CORVAIR??

> What was so good about them? I had a '60 Monza as my first car. I spent
> all my free time working on it (sort of like the GMC I guess). The
> carburetors would ice up frequently in the winter forcing me to stop so
that
> they could thaw out. It had a very lame gasoline fired heater. Well that
> thing couldn't warm my toes, much less the rear seat. I can remember
> sticking my toes into the heater outlet on a cold day so they would get
sort
> of warm. I had to carry blankets for my passengers in the winter time.
> The defroster barely worked. Maybe the newer ones were better.
>
> Plus I could never get the valve lifters to stop making "sewing machine"
> like clicking noises. Gee sort of like the noise my GMC OEM hubcaps now
> make. There were no seat belts as I recall. I had to replace the blower
> bearing twice in a year and that was a real fun project since the bearing
> was a pressed fit and I didn't have a press. I could never get the rocker
> covers to stop leaking oil. On and on....
>
> It did have a positive though. I got to learn a lot about working on cars
> and I guess that helps me to this day with the GMC. I will admit the
> Corvair was sort of an innovative design. Sort of like the GMC. I liked
my
> '66 Mustang a lot better.
>
> Richard Waters
> 1976 PB, Troy, MI
>

>
> > On Tue, 04 Apr 2000 05:55:22 -0700 "Steven D. Ferguson"

> > > (lowly Corvair mechanic with so few cfm they can be counted on
> > > fingers)
> > > Brent,
> > > One of my all time most favorite cars!
> > > Steve
> > >
> > Ditto on that... I'm down to one 65 corsa conv right, had five at one
> > time.
> > bill
>
>
 
Richard,
You're going to get a lot of flack from some of us Corvair enthusiasts.
First the car was built as an alternative to the VW Bug and it was better in
every respect. That gas heater was so hot it would burn your feet. If
yours didn't, you had mechanical problems. I owned three different ones and
never had blower problems or oil leaks. I think you had a used one with a
half million unmaintained miles on it. I even pulled a 23' travel trailer
with my Corvair Station Wagon. It didn't go fast but I got there and back.
Great car for its time.
Bob McLaughlin

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-gmcmotorhome
[mailto:owner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of Richard Waters
Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2000 11:28 AM
To: gmcmotorhome
Subject: Re: GMC: Non-GMC CORVAIR??

What was so good about them? I had a '60 Monza as my first car. I spent
all my free time working on it (sort of like the GMC I guess). The
carburetors would ice up frequently in the winter forcing me to stop so that
they could thaw out. It had a very lame gasoline fired heater. Well that
thing couldn't warm my toes, much less the rear seat. I can remember
sticking my toes into the heater outlet on a cold day so they would get sort
of warm. I had to carry blankets for my passengers in the winter time.
The defroster barely worked. Maybe the newer ones were better.

Plus I could never get the valve lifters to stop making "sewing machine"
like clicking noises. Gee sort of like the noise my GMC OEM hubcaps now
make. There were no seat belts as I recall. I had to replace the blower
bearing twice in a year and that was a real fun project since the bearing
was a pressed fit and I didn't have a press. I could never get the rocker
covers to stop leaking oil. On and on....

It did have a positive though. I got to learn a lot about working on cars
and I guess that helps me to this day with the GMC. I will admit the
Corvair was sort of an innovative design. Sort of like the GMC. I liked my
'66 Mustang a lot better.

Richard Waters
1976 PB, Troy, MI

> On Tue, 04 Apr 2000 05:55:22 -0700 "Steven D. Ferguson"

> > (lowly Corvair mechanic with so few cfm they can be counted on
> > fingers)
> > Brent,
> > One of my all time most favorite cars!
> > Steve
> >
> Ditto on that... I'm down to one 65 corsa conv right, had five at one
> time.
> bill
 
>> What was so good about them? I had a '60 Monza as my first car.....

Guess this is sliding off the GMC topic a bit, but theres some things that
are very common between the Corvair and GMC, no question-

Having trouble with the technology certainly is in common, imagine being
the owner of a GMC and not having access to this Net;-) The perils of D
range tires, mysteries of air suspension, and wobbly front wheel bearings
would all be new and probably negative experiences for you. I'd bet theres
hardly a person on the GMC list who isnt MUCH happier with their GMC since
joining just because the mysteries and myths are falling away, replaced
with solid information and support. Corvairs were a little like this, as
time went by, GM was quite agressive at debugging the basic design, and
what GM didnt fix, the owners found solutions to pretty fast.

I think the main common ground between the Corvair and GMC is they're the
end all be all of thier basic type of vehicle. Having a GMC really does
spoil you for any other type of motorhome, theres nothing even close. Both
are products of thier particular eras, if GM hadn't built either when they
did, they never would have done so.

One thing that I am struck by when talking with ex owners of Corvairs or
GMC's is how they often compare thier current vehicles to the GMC or
Corvair, kinda the yardstick by which all others are measured. You can talk
with a person with a very expensive and beautiful modern coach, and they'll
tell you how nice it is and how they like it, but you know, they "had this
GMC once...."

Both vehicles also are bittersweet in that GM gave up on them prematurely-
they both were really good vehicles at the time they were discontinued, and
could have been produced for many years to come and still been up to date
due to the advanced design in the first place. Of course, theres the
nagging idea GM would have found a way to ruin them given enough time.

I think the main thing is both are examples of GM at its best- Giving you a
better and more advanced vehicle than Brand X could or would do, because it
was possible. Its doubtful either made a significant impact on GM's bottom
line, but they both turned a profit anyhow. The biggest dividend to GM
probably is in customer loyalty - I've tolerated buggy V8-6-4 Cadillacs,
rust prone GM trucks and a variety of other annoyances in other GM vehicles
for a long time, largely because I like the idea of advanced design even if
GM screws up the details occasionally;-) Of course, not everyone will put
up with this, thats why you can still buy a Mustang new....hehehe.

Brent Covey
Vancouver BC
 
Bob,
Gee, the last thing I want to do is pick a fight with a bunch of Corvair
enthusiasts. I know I defend the GMC and my ownership from the people that
think I'm nuts for having one.

It is true that my Corvair was used. Maybe it was a bit too used when I got
it. My wife also had a used Corvair and it didn't stay running well very long
between repairs. In 1966 I almost bought a new Corvair. Instead I bought a new
Ford Mustang. In comparison to the old Corvair it was a dream. It had problems
too, but being new I didn't have as many as with the Corvair.

So I apologize if I ruffled any feathers here. It's just that my own and wife's
Corvair experiences were not that great. I had better luck with the Mustang and
the other cars that I've owned. I now own a Ford Explorer that I have driven
for over 125,000 miles and have done nothing to it except for normal
maintenance. What a difference 30 years makes in the quality and reliablity of
cars. Of course I could buy a fleet of Corvairs for what the Explorer cost.
Richard Waters

> Richard,
> You're going to get a lot of flack from some of us Corvair enthusiasts.
> First the car was built as an alternative to the VW Bug and it was better in
> every respect. That gas heater was so hot it would burn your feet. If
> yours didn't, you had mechanical problems. I owned three different ones and
> never had blower problems or oil leaks. I think you had a used one with a
> half million unmaintained miles on it. I even pulled a 23' travel trailer
> with my Corvair Station Wagon. It didn't go fast but I got there and back.
> Great car for its time.
> Bob McLaughlin
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gmcmotorhome
> [mailto:owner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of Richard Waters
> Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2000 11:28 AM
> To: gmcmotorhome
> Subject: Re: GMC: Non-GMC CORVAIR??
>
> What was so good about them? I had a '60 Monza as my first car. I spent
> all my free time working on it (sort of like the GMC I guess). The
> carburetors would ice up frequently in the winter forcing me to stop so that
> they could thaw out. It had a very lame gasoline fired heater. Well that
> thing couldn't warm my toes, much less the rear seat. I can remember
> sticking my toes into the heater outlet on a cold day so they would get sort
> of warm. I had to carry blankets for my passengers in the winter time.
> The defroster barely worked. Maybe the newer ones were better.
>
> Plus I could never get the valve lifters to stop making "sewing machine"
> like clicking noises. Gee sort of like the noise my GMC OEM hubcaps now
> make. There were no seat belts as I recall. I had to replace the blower
> bearing twice in a year and that was a real fun project since the bearing
> was a pressed fit and I didn't have a press. I could never get the rocker
> covers to stop leaking oil. On and on....
>
> It did have a positive though. I got to learn a lot about working on cars
> and I guess that helps me to this day with the GMC. I will admit the
> Corvair was sort of an innovative design. Sort of like the GMC. I liked my
> '66 Mustang a lot better.
>
> Richard Waters
> 1976 PB, Troy, MI
>

>
> > On Tue, 04 Apr 2000 05:55:22 -0700 "Steven D. Ferguson"

> > > (lowly Corvair mechanic with so few cfm they can be counted on
> > > fingers)
> > > Brent,
> > > One of my all time most favorite cars!
> > > Steve
> > >
> > Ditto on that... I'm down to one 65 corsa conv right, had five at one
> > time.
> > bill
 
Brent you said it well!
Richard

> I think the main thing is both are examples of GM at its best- Giving you a
> better and more advanced vehicle than Brand X could or would do, because it
> was possible. Its doubtful either made a significant impact on GM's bottom
> line, but they both turned a profit anyhow. The biggest dividend to GM
> probably is in customer loyalty - I've tolerated buggy V8-6-4 Cadillacs,
> rust prone GM trucks and a variety of other annoyances in other GM vehicles
> for a long time, largely because I like the idea of advanced design even if
> GM screws up the details occasionally;-) Of course, not everyone will put
> up with this, thats why you can still buy a Mustang new....hehehe.
>
> Brent Covey
> Vancouver BC
 
You had to bring up the Austin Healey 100-6. I really miss my 100-6 BN6. The
TR-6 sitting in the shed waiting for paint is a fair substitute. Once the GMC is
"finished", I will attack it again.

RON

>
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Santa Fe, NM
 
Richard,
I know you weren't trying to pick a fight and my reply wasn't intended to be
real defensive. I just think the Corvair was bad mouthed to death by Ralph
and his true believers when it was better than a lot of other choices out
there at the time. (Maybe not better than a '66 Mustang.)
Bob McL
 
My corvair story is:

My dad had one, the best I could ever do was 84 miles per hour.

One day it was going 94 MPH, was great for a while, then I saw the engine
light was on...... it had thrown the belt. I think it snapped and cracked
for an hour while I was finding a new belt...

gene

>

>
>
>Emery Stora
>77 Kingsley
>Santa Fe, NM
>
Genef -- 77PB/ore/ca
GMC MOTORHOME INFORMATION
mr.erf
http://www.california.com/~eagle/
 
Bob,
Yes I know you were not trying to get in a little verbal jousting with me. I
come from a Ford family. My father retired from the Ford Motor Company and we
always had Fords. Except for that Corvair which my older brother bought used
and I sort of inherited when he bought a new car.

Growing up in the 60's and in the Detroit area I always thought that GM had the
better car line. They seemed to me to have the most innovative designs back
then. Even though we were a Ford family I kind of felt that the Ford really was
short for "Fix-Or-Repair-Daily." But that was probably the "Grass is always
greener on the other side of the fence" feeling that we all have when we can't
get something we want. Even now I buy Ford products because I get the "Z" Plan
discount. We do have a Jeep Cherokee and the GMC to show that we are not all
Ford.

The Corvair was certainly different and I did like my Mustang.
Richard

> Richard,
> I know you weren't trying to pick a fight and my reply wasn't intended to be
> real defensive. I just think the Corvair was bad mouthed to death by Ralph
> and his true believers when it was better than a lot of other choices out
> there at the time. (Maybe not better than a '66 Mustang.)
> Bob McL
 
Rick,
As the President would say, - Define leaks. Seriously, I bought two of them
brand new and like I said, compared to my Harley's and VW's, I had no
problems. Back then, if you didn't have to add oil more often than once
every 500 miles it was only a seep.
Bob McL

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-gmcmotorhome
[mailto:owner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of
RickStapls
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 12:10 AM
To: gmcmotorhome
Subject: Re: GMC: Non-GMC CORVAIR??

> I owned three different ones and
> never had blower problems or oil leaks.

Bob,
I agree with almost everything you say about my beloved Corvairs, but NO
OIL LEAKS???? ROTFLMAO!!! Like ALL air-cooled engines, the Corvair
leaked,
some more than others, but leak they did, do, and ever shall. ;-)

Rick Staples (ducking for cover)
'75 Eleganza
Louisville, CO
 
I think I rented an apartment to you once, was the apartment on the second
floor with a board running from the window to the ground and the oil
dripping down to the apartment below ??

Yep that was you.;>)

gene

>
>> Back then, if you didn't have to add oil more often than once
>> every 500 miles it was only a seep.
>
>Bob,
> Well, if you put it that way, after rebuilding the engine, my '65 Corsa
>only seeped, as did the '67 VW Squareback I rebuilt in my apartment
bedroom a
>couple of years later. The '67 Citroen 2CV I rebuilt (using used parts, VW
>gaskets, and a shop manual all in French) after it swallowed a valve one
cold
>winter night only seeped. And I once worked on a 1 year old Porsche 911
that
>didn't leak!
> So, I did exagerate, just a little. Mea culpa. ;-) But I still
don't
>really like air-cooled engines.
>
>Rick Staples
>'75 Eleganza
>Louisville, CO
>
Genef -- 77PB/ore/ca
GMC MOTORHOME INFORMATION
mr.erf
http://www.california.com/~eagle/
 
Tom,
Memory is a funny thing. I also owned a Kharman Ghia, 2 Beetles, a Super
Beetle and a Bus. Heat in summer, none in winter, Accelerate and blow the
engine or chug. Had to tinker all the time. At least the Ghia was
bio-degradable - rusted away in no time. But enough. Not much convincing
going on.
Bob McL

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-gmcmotorhome
[mailto:owner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of tom warner
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 8:49 PM
To: gmcmotorhome
Subject: RE: GMC: Non-GMC CORVAIR??

Boy thats not how I remember it. I had a new 1963 VW that I paid $1595 for
and it was superior in every way to the corvair that I also had. The VW
paint was far superior. Maintenance was almost non existant for the VW. It
just ran. And did it anywhere. Corvair was a nightmare as far as poor
fitting body panels, paint and mechanics. But than they are not the same
cars.

>Richard,
>You're going to get a lot of flack from some of us Corvair enthusiasts.
>First the car was built as an alternative to the VW Bug and it was better
in
>every respect. That gas heater was so hot it would burn your feet. If
>yours didn't, you had mechanical problems. I owned three different ones
and
>never had blower problems or oil leaks. I think you had a used one with a
>half million unmaintained miles on it. I even pulled a 23' travel trailer
>with my Corvair Station Wagon. It didn't go fast but I got there and back.
>Great car for its time.
>Bob McLaughlin
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-gmcmotorhome
>[mailto:owner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of Richard Waters
>Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2000 11:28 AM
>To: gmcmotorhome
>Subject: Re: GMC: Non-GMC CORVAIR??
>
>
>What was so good about them? I had a '60 Monza as my first car. I spent
>all my free time working on it (sort of like the GMC I guess). The
>carburetors would ice up frequently in the winter forcing me to stop so
that
>they could thaw out. It had a very lame gasoline fired heater. Well that
>thing couldn't warm my toes, much less the rear seat. I can remember
>sticking my toes into the heater outlet on a cold day so they would get
sort
>of warm. I had to carry blankets for my passengers in the winter time.
>The defroster barely worked. Maybe the newer ones were better.
>
>Plus I could never get the valve lifters to stop making "sewing machine"
>like clicking noises. Gee sort of like the noise my GMC OEM hubcaps now
>make. There were no seat belts as I recall. I had to replace the blower
>bearing twice in a year and that was a real fun project since the bearing
>was a pressed fit and I didn't have a press. I could never get the rocker
>covers to stop leaking oil. On and on....
>
>It did have a positive though. I got to learn a lot about working on cars
>and I guess that helps me to this day with the GMC. I will admit the
>Corvair was sort of an innovative design. Sort of like the GMC. I liked
my
>'66 Mustang a lot better.
>
>Richard Waters
>1976 PB, Troy, MI
>

>
>> On Tue, 04 Apr 2000 05:55:22 -0700 "Steven D. Ferguson"

>> > (lowly Corvair mechanic with so few cfm they can be counted on
>> > fingers)
>> > Brent,
>> > One of my all time most favorite cars!
>> > Steve
>> >
>> Ditto on that... I'm down to one 65 corsa conv right, had five at one
>> time.
>> bill
>
>
>
 
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