<VV> The first Corvair??

[Doug Mackintosh]

My first Corvair was my first car, purchased (very) used in 1969 with earnings from my summer jobs. It was a 1960-3/4 model. The previous owner had welded the front end (up to the windshield) of a 1960 model to the back 2/3 of a 1961 model. Besides the mixed sheet metal, it had plenty of bondo. It had a gas heater and the manual chokes of a 1961. It was painted Ford Truck Chrome Yellow (about the color of the yellow stripe in the middle of the road) and had a red interior. I paid $225 for it as I recall. It was a Monza coupe with 102 HP / 4-speed. I drove it for about 2 years.
   
  I put chrome reverse wheels on the back. Being a teenager I generally ran the cheapest used tires I could find. The ones I remember were nearly treadless studded snow tires. At night, when I hit a bump, they would hit the top of the wheelwell and throw an impressive shower of sparks out back. 
   
  This is the car I used to run at the drag strip (no autocross). Did pretty well against the slower Falcons and such. At some point I broke a crank. I thought it was a bad rod bearing, but when I took it apart I discovered a break across one crank cheek (between the #1 and #2 rod journals). I still have the piece of crankshaft! When I ran at the strip, the crank would tip up enough to throw the belt when I dropped the clutch, giving me a few extra HP. At the end of the strip I would put the belt back on and drive back!
   
  I also remember breaking the clutch cable and learning to start moving with the starter, and double clutching to change gears with no clutch. Still amazes me how easily it shifted. I drove it clutchless for 2 weeks!
   
  My cheap tire practices finally did me in. Having worn my rear tires down to the 2nd layer of tire cord, I had resolved to go buy some "new" used tires after school. Lest you think I was some sort of daredevil I should point out that tires had 4 layers of cord back then, so I still had a couple layers to go! Anyway, I was driving to school in the rain by way of Interstate 40 in Winston-Salem, going East, and just as I had let off to take my exit I hit a puddle. Next think I knew I was going backward in the next lane at 60 MPH. I remember looking in the rearview mirror to see where I was going and expecting to glance off the median curb. Instead, I went over the 2-step barrier into the Westbound lanes. I don't remember what happened there, but from where I ended up I obviously rotated another 180 degrees as I crossed both Westbound lanes and came to rest at the base of the Westbound entrance ramp, facing up the ramp. As the car was still running, I decided to drive up the
 ramp before any pesky cops came to ask me questions. But I only got about 1 foot before the left front ball joint separated and my wheel plopped over. 
   
  My pal that drove a wrecker somehow discovered my situation and came and got me before any authorities came. We tried to fix it, but it never quite drove right after that!
   
   


-- Doug Mackintosh
  Corsa member since 1996
  Corsa/NC member since 1996,  Virtual Vairs member
  Corvair owner 1969-1971 and 1996-on
       
---------------------------------
 For ideas on reducing your carbon footprint visit Yahoo! For Good this month.