<VV> sick of my Corvair

[Tony Underwood]

At 06:21 hours 07/13/2005, mhicks130 at cox.net wrote:
>OK, I need emotional help this time. Can the collective help convince me 
>why I should keep my crappy old Corvair?  I bought this car from a "well 
>respectd member of the Corvair community" and I've done nothing but work 
>on it since I got it.  first the rear brakes locked up, then the fronts 
>were leaking.  There's been a litteny of little things and I keep finding 
>more and more rust that just got painted over.



You have evidently forgotten the adage of used cars (Vairs included).


When you buy something older/used, you're acquiring someone else's issues 
as well.    It helps greatly to recognize this from the start so you will 
be prepared to deal with whichever issues crop up.





Also:


REMEMBER:

Each problem that presents itself that YOU rectify and make good is ONE 
LESS problem to bother you later.   Eventually, even in a real 
problem-child car, you WILL whip all the issues and then they won't be 
issues any more.    It's worth considering.



>Last night was the kicker.  On my way to IHOP from our monthly club 
>meeting last night, I appearantly dropped a valve seat.  I was cruizing 
>along, everything fine and then it started popping through the carb.  I'm 
>demoralized.  I knew I was buying an old car but this is just stupid.  The 
>one thing I was consistanly happy about this car was the 
>engine.  Everytime I found something bad I'd say "but at least that engine 
>runs good".  Now even that's gone.

Before you get too excited...   check under the valve cover and make sure 
you simply don't have a rocker arm or pushrod problem.   Dropped seats 
don't usually cause popping through the carb, at least not what I'd regard 
as popping...  but an exhaust valve that's not opening sure will, 
bigtime.    And unless the engine is a 140hp or turbo variant, the valve 
seat problems tend to be fairly rare... albeit certainly not 
impossible.    As a rule, the nonturbo small valve heads don't regularly 
shed valve seats.   Cannot say this about the 140hp and turbo heads.

Peek under the offending valve cover and see what's there.


>If Corsa had any balls they'd put a warning label on their web page that 
>says: "Warning, owning an old Corvair can be hazardous to you mental 
>healt.  Only obtain one if you are a complete masochist".  I fell for all 
>the "they're fun cars" stuff.  Yeah they're fun but the price I've paid 
>for that fun is WAY to high.


Don't get me started on "war stories" regarding Vairs...


>I'm sticking with my appliance-like Honda minivan.  Boring? yes.  Fun? 
>no.  Heartbreaking? NEVER!!!
>
>stupid old cars - they suck.


No they do not.



>mike (feeling sorry for myself, sniff)



Now, if you find that it was a bad pushrod or a loose rocker arm or the 
like, will you come back in here and tell the universe you're sorry for 
having doubted the Vair...?    ;)




tony..