<VV> Whatd'yapack

[Mark Noakes]

Actually, good point.  For the most part my Corvairs have been very reliable.

I don't drive my Corvair that far any more, but I used to regularly take my 66 on weekend trips of 600 miles and occasional longer trips of about 1,000 miles.  I used to carry a lot of spare parts because that was where I kept them...since I lived in an apartment, but I never had a breakdown on the road...not counting the racoon that I hit that somehow messed up my shifter.  I had a few breakdowns around town...but most of those were after autocrossing!...other than a clutch cable or two.

The Lakewood  made many much longer round trips over 1500 miles...and I also used it for quite a while for a 120 mile per day daily commute...and I usually didn't carry spare parts for it...it also never broke down on the road...a few generator problems around town though...till I swapped to an alternator.

Total miles I put on the Lakewood w/o getting left on the side of the road = about 140Kmiles, driven thru the 1980s. not running now.

Total miles put on the 66 w/o getting left on the side of the road = also about 140Kmiles for me though the car had 96Kmiles on it when I got it...I did cheat and swap engines at about 236Kmiles though...so now at 250Kmiles.  driven heavily from 74 thru 82 and sporadically since then.

Mark Noakes

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bryan Blackwell" <bryan at skiblack.com>
> To: "J R Read_HML" <hmlinc at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: Re: <VV> Whatd'yapack
> Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:06:07 -0500
> 
> 
> My experience has been is that all too often that sort of thing can become a crutch.  
> I used to carry all kinds of stuff with me.  Once I stopped, my failure rate went way 
> down, there really aren't that many things that fail utterly without warning.  My 
> point is to heed the warning and fix what's wrong, the very best preparation is 
> keeping things up.  Got a little drip out of the fuel pump?  When *was* the last time 
> a new fan belt went on?  Funny noise in the front end?  Fix it.  Generator brushes?  
> Yes, if you're driving in the desert at night you'd best have some along, but when it 
> did happen on the way to our vacation it worked like this:
> 
>   - "Pshaw, the gen light is on."
>   - Continue to destination.
>   - Get out CORSA roster.
>   - Call around to local members, find out who has three of them in the stash.
>   - Go there, get part, bolt on.
>   - Buy new friend a beer.
> 
> Besides that, these are solid, reliable cars when in good repair.  I don't carry 
> parts and tools and such in the water pumpers (does anyone?), so I don't do so as a 
> general rule in the Corvairs either.
> 
> --Bryan


Mark Noakes

Personal, hobby, enthusiast vehicles, work/school, nature/travel/art photography located at:

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"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is usually a difference."--Anonymous

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
-- Mark Twain.