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

[Jim Houston]

When I bought my 65 Monza Coupe from a guy in South Carolina, I drove it 
home without incident....

Of course, I must confess that I only drove it about 2 miles from where 
I met the transporter to my house!  :-D

But, the car has been trouble free for over a year and several hundred 
miles, so I suppose I could have driven it all the way from S.C. if I 
had decided to do that..

Jim Houston
Brandon, FL

Nick Elzinga wrote:

>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
>
> _______________________________________________
>This message was sent by the VirtualVairs mailing list, all copyrights are the property
>of the writer, please attribute properly. For help, mailto:vv-help at corvair.org
>This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of America, http://www.corvair.org/
>Post messages to: VirtualVairs at corvair.org
>Change your options: http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/options/virtualvairs 
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>  
>