<VV> Survey: How Many Made It Home? - Me "S" category

[Nick Elzinga]

I bought my 65 Monza Coupe 600 miles away.  A test drive showed up nothing
untoward and after some haggling over the price, the deal was done.  It was
600 miles home and we were already half way through the morning.  The tank
was filled and we were off, a friend following in my support car.

Once on the interstate it was apparent that all was not well with the
suspension, the car snaking its way along.  It was going to be an
interesting trip.  Shortly thereafter a misfire developed and I had to pull
over.  I saw nothing obvious but pulled and pushed on various connectors and
set off again and everything was back to normal.  However the misfire
persisted at intervals for the next 400 miles until the engine died
completely and refused to start.  But I digress.

After about 100 miles the muffler suddenly decided to fall off the car. It
was retrieved before being run over by a truck and as it was too hot to
handle, the car was driven without it to the next service station.  It was a
Sunday, so no facilities were available.  Fortunately we were able to refit
it with minimal tools and it held for the rest of the journey.

When the car eventually died completely it was just getting dark and we were
60 miles from the nearest town and I can assure you there was nothing
between us and that town.  Not the best place to become stranded.  It was
also pre cell phones, so there was no calling for help.  Anyway, by some
stroke of luck in the failing light we located the source of the problem.  A
brittle wire had broken inside its connector to the coil.  I had some tools
but no side cutters.  A search up and down the roadside eventually turned up
a piece of glass from a broken bottle and the insulation was hacked off the
end of the wire and it was re-attached to the coil.  The car then made the
next 200 miles without incident.

On closer inspection the following day, it was found the control arm bushes
had all but disintegrated and that a complete rear suspension rebuild was
necessary.  That immediately cured the snaking.

Since that incident I have only once driven another car home and the others
have gone on a transporter.

So I'm in the "S" category.

Nick Elzinga
Cape Town
South Africa

-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of N. Joseph Potts
Sent: 29 May 2005 06:34 PM
To: Corvair List
Subject: <VV> Survey: How Many Made It Home?

The subject here has to do with J R's and others' stories on VV: getting
your new Corvair home (doesn't count if in fact your Corvair IS new, which
no one's has been for over 30 years).
     Since 1965, I've bought one Corvair and, in a story I have aired on VV,
I didn't make it home (across town - Miami) with it. Rust from the gas tank
clogged the carburetors.
     Everybody think about the last Corvair they tried to drive home from
the place where they acquired it (as JR did, and I tried to). Did the car
make it back under its own power? Three possible answers: Y: yes - made it
with no more attention than gas, oil, and air. N: switched to tow truck,
flatbed, or other external source of power. S: sort of: the vehicle either
broke down or appeared as though it would break down, requiring mechanical
attention of one sort or another on the trip home. JR's account would appear
to fall in the S category. Flat tires and dead batteries make an S, unless
dealt with at the beginning of the trip in the course of resuscitating the
car where bought.
     My report is N.
     By all means, vote multiple times if you remember more than one
Corvair, as long as it's your own you're reporting.

Joe Potts
Miami, Florida USA
1966 Corsa coupe 140hp 4-speed with A/C