Projects Fly in, Drive home in my late Dads car. Attempting 2000 miles

Love the car, but love the story even more! Safe travels.

 

The smile on your face in front of your room tell it all. Thanks for sharing your trip with the rest of us. When I was a lot younger, we ran Corvairs in sand rails, believe me, they love RPM's and are really quite durable.

 

Love the story. Good luck the rest of the way.

 

So jealous. Love the sentiment, love the car, gonna do this with my old 55 one day. Be safe. This trip is worthy of Denise and Big Olds.

 

Thanks for the continued updates. As you can tell, many of us are apparently living through your trip somewhat as we can all relate to so many aspects. Praying for continued safe trip as you finish up. Oh, and hope you find the 3 door.

 

good to hear it's all going well.

Years ago my mom told me that Jayne Mansfield went to their church, it must have been when some time in the late 50s-very early 60s, when our family lived in Minneapolis. Probably before I was born.

 

Condolences on the passing of your Dad.

Great thread & I am enjoying your updates & especially the pictures. Yes, Corvairs are very reliable & except for the hot fuel problems...you are proving that! Prayers for a safe completion of this amazing trip.

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

Great thread, sounds like you're having a great time, seeing some great country and roads, visiting family, and just enjoying the time spent alone behind the wheel of a classic car, along with all the memories of your dad. Thanks for sharing it all with us, and best wishes for the remainder of the trip.

 

Back in the mid '60s, my dad drove a 61 Corvair coupe, then a year later he bought a used 62 spyder convertible, then he switched to a 66 super Corsa. So as a kid, I spent a lot of time in the backseat of a Corvair.
This trip is bringing back a lot of memories. The sound of the engine as it goes through the gears, the moan as it lugs out of a corner in third gear, the creaking, clunking sound of the shift mechanism, the little heat vents under the back seat, and the smells that come out of that hot, air cooled engine and filter in through the heat vents, is all starting too seem very familiar.
Those of you who have ridden in corvairs will know what I mean.

 

I can't tell if this is a typo or commentary on Corvair handling.

As we're witnessing vicariously, these really are fun and reliable cars when put in the hands of the automotively inclined. Their bad rep came from the fan belt, oil leaks, air-cooled weirdness and funky rear-engine handling characteristics. The general public wasn't and isn't equipped to deal with those issues. So Chevy moved on to the Vega...

 

Funny how we cue off those past live experiences and memories...it is awesome that you are taking the time to remember. Thank you for including us along the way... enjoy the day

 

Although I didn’t grow up in Corvair’s, I did drive a 63 Monza convertible for a short time recently, so can relate to all you mention.

And, on a similar note, I did grow up in the back of 70’s Corvettes so my youngest son now having one sure brings back similar memories as we drive and work on it. Pretty sure the memories and relationships around these cars are what I have come to cherish the most.

Thanks again for taking us along.

 

I feel like I am there with you.

Most of the cars I gravitate towards are because of sentiment. The sound that through the floor pedals make in an AD Chevy truck, the smooth ride of a 60-66 Chevy truck, especially the nuance of the torsion bar trucks, and the unique feel of the Corvair clutch, shifter, and the almost airplane-like sounds they make when you are really slogging one through a twisty road... all visceral stuff that connects me back to my youth.

Cars are special in the way they can connect you to a feeling or moment in time, or a memory of someone near to the heart. I appreciate the reminder as I share your journey!

 

Thanks for the writeup. A trip through different eyes lets you see what you may have missed on the same road.

 

Thanks for keeping us updated great trip much appreciated.
Back in the mid-60s my sister had a good friend that came to visit for the weekend. Her college car was a 63 corvair sharp little car with a sporty interior. I talked her into letting me take it to the car wash and giving it a good cleaning. Well after cleaning it up from top to bottom. Some fun driving was in order needless to say I was gone most of the afternoon. I remember it like it was yesterday the car left quite the impression of a fun sporty car.

 

That was nice of you to clean it up then drive it long enough to make sure all the water was blown out and the car completely dry to prevent future rust issues. I’m sure she appreciated the extra effort.

 

With all of us happily along for the ride, just be glad we're only here virtually as the food and lodging bills would be astronomical

 

Jack, very sorry to hear about your dad. My condolences.

Colorado wasn't so bad. I didn't really hit any nasty traffic snarls, at least nothing that you wouldn't expect during rush hour or construction lane closures.

The old Chevy hit 98,000 mi on the odometer this morning. I hope that doesn't hurt the resale value.

It's been a damp, foggy morning. Continuing to move forward towards the old Ford search area.

A little interesting info, when I was at Dad's place using his ancient 110 volt Craftsman timing light to check the timing, I had looked up the setting in the manual for a non-turbo car. I think it was supposed to be at 8° initial, but the mark on the pulley was so far advanced, it wasn't even close to the marks on the timing cover. So I loosened up the clamp on the distributor and backed down the timing to where it was supposed to be and the car was spitting and sputtering, and backfired out the carbs. I knew that wasn't right. Thankfully, I had marked the previous position of the distributor and reset it to exactly where it had been. I had no way to know exactly where it was timed because there was no marks to line up at that point. I figured The pulley must be in the wrong position or mis-marked or something.

Then the other night while I was at the Bel Air motel trying to figure out why the backup lights stayed on, I was looking through the factory service manual, 1962-1963 supplement, in the electrical section, and I noticed a description of the distributor specs for the turbocharged model. It's basically locked at 24° advanced, until it hits 4,000 RPM, then it retards back to 18° if I remember right. And then on top of that there is a vacuum advance / boost retard on it. I had assumed that when the turbo was removed, a standard distributor had been installed. But there wasn't a distributor in the boxes of parts, so I should have known. This thing still has the correct spyder/turbocharged distributor in it. That's good news now I don't have to find one when I put the turbo back on!

 

Great trip! Following!








Bones

 

I am really enjoying the trip with you! I think it's great that you are taking your Dad's ashes with you, a wonderful tribute to him! Every time I see a Corvair I think of my HS buddy that just got his driver's license and was showing me how well his Mom's 64 Corvair handled at speed on wet city streets. He came around a corner way too fast, jumped the curb and we landed on top a fire hydrant which punched a hole in the floor boards and water filled the car, we looked like two wet rats. I am sure it looked like a bad movie. The cop didn't think it was as funny as we did and his Mother was not amused AT ALL!!

 

Sorry for the lost of your Dad. Thank you for all the post for us that will never be able to see that part of USA. Please keep posting those pictures.

 

"The sound of the engine as it goes through the gears, as it lugs out of a corner in third gear, the creaking, clunking sound of the shift mechanism, the little heat vents under the back seat, and the smells that come out of that hot, air cooled engine and filter in through the heat vents, is all starting too seem very familiar."

Dude.. that's it right there. I'm here on the HAMB as a voyeur, and I'm invested in my own eclectic projects for all that visceral stuff. I've got my own triggers with old cars or trucks. Anything with horsehair in the seat has got my undivided attention. Love that smell. That special "thunk" from the floor board of an AD truck when using the clutch or brake pedal, the unique sound of the early 60's Ford doors and latches. Old road-dust and gearoil being re-heated when I put an vintage car back into use and start heat-cycling the exhaust and chassis. The lovely aroma from a drippy old Carter YF on the last 216 I rescued, vacuum wipers and the perfect warm yellow of a 6-volt dome light. I'll stop now! Thanks for the reminder though....

 

Joel, Do you have any 2dr ,stick, potential runners down there? This thread has got me interested ;-)

 

I was wondering how complete the late 4 door is....

 

Mark, I'm pretty sure that I have at least a couple of those.

 

Squirrel, I'm not really sure on that. I didn't pay too much attention to them I was so busy trying to get this one roadworthy. I'll let you know when I'm heading back over there.

 

In the early 90's, I flew into Longville, Texas, to buy the car of my dreams, a '36 Ford 3-window coupe. I left Longville at 8:30 in the morning, and after interminable (but not fatal) problems, made it back to Minneapolis at 6:30 PM the next day. I completely understand what you are doing, and I hope you find it as much a positive experience as I did (at least in retrospect).

I would not give up that experience for anything. I'm sure it is something that you will remember he rest of your life.

Corvairs are great cars; here's my experience with one : https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...air-you-have-ever-done.1183164/#post-13436653.

 

I made it to the search area this afternoon, Johnstown Nebraska. I probably spent an hour and a half at least driving up and down streets looking for the early '60s Ford crew cab, but I couldn't find it. So I went on my phone and looked at satellite images and I think I found it on the satellite. When I drove to the exact spot, it was gone. There was nothing there. I must have been too late. I did see a ton of other old vehicles though, mostly trucks. So I continued on towards Minnesota. Hit quite a bit of foggy, drizzly weather, as well as some rain. I only made it to Sioux falls before I stopped for the night.

You guys who recommended the lumbar support, and the icy Hot for the back know what you are talking about! I heeded your warnings and bought both. Nevertheless, last night and today my lower back was killing me while driving. I think tomorrow morning I'm going to try and find a thicker lumbar support before I continue.
I think the wheel bearing noise from the right rear is getting louder too. I'm going to jack it up in the morning and just wiggle on it see if there's any movement in the bearing or not. I sure am glad I took the extra axle, so I really don't have to worry about what I would do if I do lose a bearing. I stopped at a cool little old roadside park, and the sign said it was the first rest area in the state of Nebraska.

 

Sioux Falls, your almost home!

 

1964 Corvair convertible was my first car out of high school. Your description of the sounds and smells of a Corvair are spot on. Mine was a oil leaker, I could not tell you how many times people said "your cars on fire" because of the oil smoke rising out of the hood louvers.