<VV> Beater corvairs

[Bill & Chris Strickland]

> Smitty says.    A beater is a parts car that still runs

Although I really like Smitty's idea, I've never bought anything except 
"beater" Corvairs -- we drove the van, which was discarded by a school 
district, then stripped for dune buggy parts, for probably about 250K 
more miles including the two day trip to Texas after a little bit of 
reassembly, a lacquer thinner wash, followed by a midnight spray in a 
booth.  Gusbus.

My current 60 had the drivetrain removed, the converter full of 
shavings, and a door bashed in, but I had a working auto trans out of a 
"true beater" 60 [ $50 -- drove it home, downhill, and once to one of 
the NW EconoRuns, and commuted into downtown Portland for about 6 months 
-- would have been a nice "project car" on the east coast] anyway, with 
that trans, the original engine, original paint, interior it came with, 
and it really is a fairly nice "unrestored" ride.

The red wagon had "new floors & brakes", but barely ran enough to drive 
onto the tilt trailer and didn't stop because a line ruptured.  The new 
drivetrain now needs the cam gear on the crank reset -- what do you 
expect for a $500 140, it ran for several thousand miles ...

My first Corvair (early seventies) was a nice 60 body over here, a 
rebuilt drivetrain over there, and some seats out of a guy's attic above 
a garage.  My next two were wrecked Corsas out of the wrecking yard -- 
drove 'em both, one for many, many miles, and I dare say it didn't drive 
like a "beater" ...

One guy's "beater" may be another's "parts", someone else's 
"transportation", yet another's "project", or maybe just an unfinished 
"show car" in other hands.  A lot just "depends" ...

Remember, money has little to do with it when it is a labor of love.

(maybe someday I'll be able to afford someone else's "nice" car ... )

Bill Strickland