<VV> Making Necessary Repairs

[Smitty]

> From: "jvhroberts at aol.com" <jvhroberts at aol.com>
>> 1. It's big.
> 2. It's a large chunk of dead weight.
> 3. An axle with a new bearing is better used in the installed position.
> 4. It's a piece you don't have to carry as inventory.
> 5. An axle with a new bearing installed will last a VERY long time, and 
> becomes something you don't worry about.
> 6. If you are worried about it, replace the rear wheel bearings every 10 
> years/50,000 miles, and again, becomes something you'll NEVER have to 
> worry about!
**************
Smitty Says;  John I don't know if this group of comments is a rehash from a 
week ago or if it was recently written.  I have to make a couple of points . 
In reference to #3.  As I plainly stated in one of my earlier posts to Frank 
D.  I was going through an average of one new freshly packed bearing a year. 
Every time I left home I had two freshly packed bearings on the rear of my 
wagon.  If I went to California I would be returning with the axle from the 
trunk on one side or the other in the rear.  One trip to Washington State I 
had to change an axle there and got my spare unpressed bearing put on the 
removed axle.  I put that one on the car in Kansas.I don't know how your 
reading comprehension is, but I also reminded, I always hauled my camper 
with 150 lb hitch weight.  #5 and#6 shows that you are reading only part of 
my posts.  That being said, you now understand that all of my statements 
concerned me traveling with my wagon.
    Let's leave that subject and talk about other Early Corvairs in general. 
I have always had 3 or 4 on the road and depending on the destination I 
often took one of them to travel in.  It was much more pleasant to make a 
speed run to KC in one of the convertibles rather than pulling the camper 
with the wagon.  Each of those cars when I bought them were gone over 
carefully to insure they were mechanically "and brakes" sound.  I always 
ended up putting NOS bearings on each of them.  I never kept any more than 
ten years.  That didn't stop me from occasionally having bearing failures 
and when I did I was always happy I had a spare in the trunk.  I was always 
able to get back on the road in 45 minutes and that is about as long as it 
would take to get a tow truck there.  Your stated choice of Corvairs is for 
Lates.  You say you don't or won't own any Earlies.  That being the case I 
don't understand why you keep telling us Early owners how much you know 
about maintaining our cars.