1965 Corvair Monza Convertible Project Car - No Rust! 110 HP - Stored since 1977

1965 Corvair Convertible Project Car

Many more pictures at http://s1371.photobucket.com/user/ericnic1/library/Corvair?sort=2&page=1

I am selling my project which I never got to... My father in law had Corvairs in the '70s and '80s and I had a couple in the early '80s - all late model. He bought this car in June 1981 in Philadelphia with the intention of restoring it. Other than some light surface rust on parts of the undercarriage it was rust free. The car was last inspected in September 1976 and was not running. The car was completely disassembled (top, interior, drive train, suspension, steering, gas tank, etc.), loose undercoating removed, undercarriage sandblasted to remove surface rust, suspension components cleaned and painted, gas tank cleaned and painted and then it sat- the body sitting on a couple 55 gallon drums in the garage - for years. In 1989 I took over the project. I reassembled enough of the car to get it on a trailer to transport it to Kentucky. I collected parts from my father in law's garageand thenI then started to accumulate some missing items. All the new parts were obtained from Clark's Corvair. I also obtained a manual transmission, clutch, and all the pieces to convert from the Powerglide to a manual transmission. I started to work on the engine and had the heads redone. In 1990 I moved to Clifton Park, NY. The movers put the Corvair on a moving van and transported it to New York. When it came off the moving van, we pushed it into the garage and it has sat there totally untouched for 26 years until a couple weeks ago when I rolled it out of the garage to take these pictures. I realize I am never going to restart this project, much less complete it, so time to sell. Some might call this a barn find, but there was no barn involved and it was never lost - just taking up space in attached garages in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Kentucky, and New York for 39 years.

The car was originally sold on 7/30/65 in Philadelphia for $2261
My father in law purchased it June 1981 in Philadelphia – Claimed 25k miles. It was not running, but was purchased because there was no rust other than some surface rust on the undercarriage.

It was last on the road in 1977 and I do not know how it ended up in it's current condition. It was last inspected on 9/16/76 with 24685 miles. The odometer currently shows 25687 miles which would mean approximately 2200 miles a year for the 12 years it was driven. It could also be 125687 miles which would mean approximately 10,500 miles a year for 12 years.

The condition of the car is both good and bad. The good features are:

Front Seats had plastic seat covers (I removed the driver side seat cover in 1989 to examine the condition underneath – it was like new)
No rust or rust repair
Heads rebuilt and new bearings and rings
Have all parts to convert to 4 speed manual (clutch, pedal assembly, Corsa dash)
Quick steering arms andquick steering box (3 ¼ turns lock to lock)
Front spoiler
Correct NOS wheel trim
Wire wheel covers
Only parts I know for sure are missingare the top boot and a muffler
AM/FM Radio
Hazard Switch
1965 Owners Manual, Accessory Guide
1965 Corvair New Car Brochure
1965 Engine Manual
1965 Chassis Manual
Have ignition/door and trunk/glove box keys

The Bad:
Body work (really poor job) on all four corners
Repainted (really poor job) in non-original red
Rocker Panels opened up to inspect and verify no rust – planned to rust proof before closing back up
Bolt which holds oil pickup line - the threads in the block are stripped - it happened while reassembling the engine just before I moved
Have original 1965 title which was signed over, but not notarized
The lower windshield panel and engine lid had minor dents, so we replaced them with other panels

I stripped the paint off the back left fender when I got it to see the extent of the bodywork. I looked at the receipt from when my father in law bought the car, and the phone number of seller was (215) 227-3043 (Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Repainting). That explains the body and paint issues. All four corners have body filler and the entire car was repainted a slightly different shade of red. The paint job did not include the door jams, behind the emblems, or even behind the front license plate. Also, the rear tail lights are all at odd angles. My intent was to have the bodyworkdone correctly and repaint the original red.

Based on our collective experience with Corvairs, the problem always came down to rust. This car had no rust other than some light surface rust on the undercarriage. Based on past rust problems, my father in law opened up the rocker panels to inspect and clean out. The intent was to then thoroughlyrust proof them and then close them back up. Therewas nothing but light surface rust,which was removed with a wire brush, butthey were never rust proofed or closed back up. The undercarriage wasalso given a lot of attention to prevent future rust. All the undercoatingwhich was loose and along seams was removed using a putty knife.All the exposed metal was then sandblasted, primed, and painted. The plan was to have a car which could be driven and not rust away if it got wet. I have included pictures of underside of the trunk, the floors, and the battery area. Additional pictures on photobucket.

The carhas a two speed powerglide, but I wanted a manual transmission so stripped an old parts car of everything needed to convert from auto to manual - transmission, bell housing, clutch cable, clutch pedal assembly, engine sheet metal, etc. I also have a Corsa dash for manual transmission, although it also has a vent for A/C. The powerglide transmission is also included

Although functional, I had planned on replacing the top and carpeting. The interior was like new - the front seats had been covered with thick vinyl seat covers. I removed the vinyl cover from the driver seat in 1989 and it was like brand new underneath. After sitting for over 25 years, it has a lot of dirt and staining, but it appears to come clean with just water.

I am pretty sure that I have all the parts other than the top boot and a muffler. The only part which I would have still wanted to replace is the shifter tube as the donor car I got it from was very rusty. I see new ones are available from Clark's Corvair for $140.

Some of the Used Parts Purchased or Obtained:

4 Wire Wheel Covers in Very Good Condition
Front Spoiler
Quick Steering (Box and arms – 3 ¼ turns lock to lock)
Manual Transmission with all parts for clutch and shift (Shift tube is rusty and poor condition)
Corsa Dash for Manual Transmission
Rear Dampeners (Weights)
Rear Cove Moldings and Trim

Lots of Extra Parts including:

Extra carbs
Extra Distributor
Extra Valve Covers
Miscellaneous hardware
Some of the New parts:

NOS Wheel Trim ($175 at Clarks)
Window Felt
Trunk Seal
Engine Cover Seal
Engine Seal
Exhaust Pipe
Carb Rebuild Kits
Viton O-Rings
Valve Cover Gaskets
Numerous packages of small parts from Clark's Corvair

I havemany more pictures at http://s1371.photobucket.com/user/ericnic1/library/Corvair?sort=2&page=1- Note that there are sub folders for interior, engine, undercarriage, parts, etc. Most of the pictures have descriptions when you view them full size. I also have about 30 years of Corsa magazines which will be included!

Local Pickup Only - You will need a trailer or flatbed for this car, as the suspension and powertrain have been installed just enough to be able to push the car a short distance onto a trailer.

Please ask if there are any questions or you would like additional information on something.