<VV> Theoretical recommendations.

Wed Sep 1 14:09:00 EDT 2010

Some of the things I've found out about so far:

1. The mechanic was overtightening the belt.
2. There were, although we didn't know it, replacement body pans to better
fix the floorpan problem.
3. Viton o-rings.
4. A good 10W-30 oil would have helped.  Maybe 10W-40 in the summer and
5W-30 in winter.
5. Maybe in later years replacing the early 62 cast iron fan, with the later
lighter cooling fan.

Also, has anybody replaced an earlier oil cooler with a later one for better
oil cooling?
How about replacing the 'oil-bath' air cleaners with somewhat more modern
ones, and replacing the air intake with the later single filter air intake?
If I remember correctly, we had a cartridge type oil filter, not a spin-on
at the time, too.  Dad never did his own work and the most he let me do to
it was drive it, change the wiper blades when needed and the license plates
once a year.  Oh, and change the 'snow tires' over in the spring.  (We had 7
wheels altogether, the 4 on the car, the spare in the engine compartment and
two with 'mudgrip/snow tires' on them.

Charles Fregeau

-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of Charles Fregeau
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 1:43 PM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: <VV> Theoretical recommendations.

We used to own a 62 700 coupe that was probably scrapped by the person we
sold it to for parts sometime in 1975.

I want to know what we might have been able to do to save it.

1.        Body was losing ground at the rear left turn signal.  Sometimes
the left turn signal would light up but not blink.

2.       Valves had been 'reground' once at 41,000 and supposedly needed it
again at 94,000.  I've never heard of anybody else grinding the valves in
their Corvair.

3.       Front passenger floor pan had been patched twice.

4.       Was beginning to develop the infamous 60's GM wheel well rust.

5.       Found out later part of our problems were that Dad used Kendall
20-20W year round in southern Illinois, where the temps ran from -20 to 100
and yes it was driven on the highway.

6.       On Halloween 1971, someone cut one of the hoses to the vacuum
shifting valve? on the Powerglide transmission and loosened the oil pan to
within half a turn of the nuts falling off and of course broke the seal.  

7.       Also sometime in 1974, a gas station that we had been using for
years accidentally put diesel fuel in the gasoline tank and we got about
half a tank full.  We had to have the gas tank removed and cleaned, the fuel
lines blown clean, and the carberettors cleaned out.

Assume money is no object.   

This is a 1962 700 coupe.  80 hp, Powerglide  938 Adobe Beige, red interior,
2 speed wipers and washer and backup lights and left outside mirror.  No gas
heater.  We also had to replace the generator bracket once because a
mechanic overtightened the belts and the stress cracked the bracket.  (We
used to have to replace the belts every 6 months anyway.)  Up through that
point, the vehicle had had two owners:

17 December 1961-1 July 1970 My Uncle Bill, who had originally bought the
car for his wife to use.

1 July 1970  - 4 December 1974 Dad

There were no other Corvair owners around us at the time, and we didn't as
yet know about any of the Corvair clubs.  I would have expected they
wouldn't want to deal with a daily driver in those days anyway.

I learned about using a proper multi-weight oil as soon as I owned my own
car.  I never actually owned the Corvair, just learned to drive on it.   Had
we not had to sell it, it might have been my first car to own.

Charles Fregeau

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