<VV> professional repair

[Tony Underwood]

At 11:04 AM 2/27/2010, Bryan Blackwell wrote:
>I think one of the key things is - everybody does brakes.  Not 
>everyone has done a column, so even though it is easier, it's not 
>considered "normal", and therefore is "hard".
>
>A brief story.  Back when, I needed ball joints done on my 
>'65.  Since this was a "hard" job, I took it to a local Corvair 
>specialist.  Turns out he pressed the lowers in only halfway, so 
>when I hit a pothole, the car went way out of alignment.  I took it 
>to a local shop and had it fixed, but after that I've never bought 
>the "you have to take it to a professional" argument.  They can, and 
>do, screw things up too.
>
>As long as you are careful, use the shop manuals, and ask questions 
>if something doesn't go together smoothly, I would say there isn't a 
>repair job on a Corvair that can't be done by an owner.  That's what 
>our local chapter is all about.  That's also what this list is 
>for.  Now, if you don't have time, tools, or inclination, and have a 
>shop to go to that you trust, by all means do so.  But I don't buy 
>"you have to take it to a professional".  More like "it has to be 
>done in a serious manner".



Ever since my first Corvair, anything that's ever been done to any of 
them, I did... with the exception of a tube seal job I once got Danny 
Otey to do for me on a beater '63 Monza because the monsoons were in 
town and it was leaking and I needed it as a driver until I finished 
the black Spyder coupe (its body/paintprep work on hiatus until 
weather cleared up) and he had a dry shop and I had extra money, so...

;)


Anything else, from body work/paint to engine overhauls to interior 
and upholstery work and suspension alignments, I did.   It's not 
because I was anything "professional".  It was because I am a 
cheapskate, simple as that.   I learned how to do anything that 
needed to be done and I did it.   Besides, if I do it myself there's 
nobody to blame or complain to if it's not done right.


It's kept my '60 4-door running as a daily (mostly) driver for a 
quarter century.   It's also still keeping the others going after 
many years.   There's not a lot to a Corvair I've not had apart and 
put back together... not because I'm a "pro" but because it costs too 
much to have someone else do it.    I work for cheap.


...OK, I admit that when I need tires balanced I go to Danny's shop 
and get him to mount-balance them with his fancy computer balancing 
machine.




tony..