<VV> Re: Survey: How Many Made It Home?

[Thomas Stingl]

I only drove one Corvair home from where I bought it, and this trip earned
an "S" for "somehow" ... it was also the longest trip I ever made in a
Corvair until now:

End of 1997 I was a Corvair newbie, never drove a Corvair before, and bought
the Rampside without having seen it, in another country (Netherlands).

One of my brothers had business in the North so he brought me to the
vendor. We opened the engine lid, and counted the carburetors, ... 4??
After having been told where the emergency brake is located, no other
obstacles to start the trip, and Guus de Haan escorted me to the German
border.

One hour later I was in Germany, but after about 60 % of the 8 hour trip,
on the Autobahn near Cologne, there was power loss (about 16 % ;-) and
valve train noise. 

Stopped at the next Autobahn gas station, and by chance an ADAC (AAA) guy
was nearby, he had a look and checked with a stethoscope and said, OK, it
is that cylinder, but who could repair this? - of course he never saw such
a car before.
(I didn't knew at this time that *I* myself would repair it, by swapping
cylinder heads, took some months, but anyway ...).

It was already dark, and knowing that a friend lives nearby I called him,
and he escorted me to his flat. Next morning the Rampside started up fine,
oil pressure was fine, so I drove the remaining 300 km on 5 cylinders VERY
slowly on the Autobahn ... sometimes it was scary - but made it home without
any other incidents ... 

Thomas

-- 
Thomas Stingl | ts1 at corvair.de | http://corvair.de/ | ICQ# 258018925
1961 Rampside - 1962 Greenbrier - 1962 Monza Wagon - 1963 Corvan
ULTRA Euro Rep / Ambassador    | Karlsruhe, Germany