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

I guess they don't have code enforcement in that neck of the woods.

 

Sorry for your loss. Dads don't get enough credit. Be careful with the tires-even with all that tread, they're still 5 years old. You're doing some good work, and I don't just mean mechanically. Hope you have great trip.

 

The HOA requires at least five old cars laying in the yard, preferably with at least one tire missing, otherwise you're in violation.

 

Extra points for concrete blocks supporting them?

 

I’ll bet your dad is smiling down on you and helping you as you work. He has a great toy box from what I see. You are a lucky man to have a dad like that.

 

I had a few Corvairs when I was a low wage college student...They are durable lumps that can take a beating. I didn't read every post....Worst engine problem you may have is leaky pushrod tube oil seals and those thermostat bellows engine ducting doors..Make sure the doors open when the engine is warmed up and free from debris.
Have a safe trip!

 

Sorry for your loss. Dad’s are impossible to replace. 2000 miles in a droptop Corvair should make for an epic adventure. Hope it is safe and filled with good conversations with your son.

 

Condolences to you and your family, Joel. But I do hope you and your son enjoy a memorable trip!

 

Condolences to you and your family. I am sure you can handle any problems you have on the road,so relax and enjoy the trip (priceless) with your son, your dad will be looking down on you guys.

 

Sorry for your loss. RIP.
You are doing a great tribute to him.

Corvairs are great.

 

Use the vinyl dryer duct. Good move on the rear bearings, and smart to install them and spin out all the excess grease. Grabbing a spare from one of those other cars may be a good insurance policy, just in case those are already bad.

 

Sorry, a spare axle, not a spare tire...

 

When do you guys plan on hitting the road? HRP

 

Sorry to hear about your Dad's passing, and I think honoring him is a great idea.........BUT, I think firing up a car that has set for 15 years and trying to drive it 2,000 miles is not a good idea. Lots of long open stretches along the way. I helped my son return from Arizona to Ky. I would buy a used "tow dolley" for $500 or so and bring it back attached to a known good vehicle. My son hooked one to an SUV and his wife and her dad towed a Jeep back........using the Jeep as a trailer. They wanted over a $1,000 ($1500 ?) to rent even a small enclosed trailer one way. Sold the tow dolley, so it cost us nothing.
The main concern I would have with what you are doing is fuel tank debris and possibly rusted fuel lines and rotted rubber lines. I'd flush the tank and change the filter and get an extra filter as a spare. I'd replace all rubber hoses and get spare ignition parts as well as changing the spark plugs. Then get one of those small aluminum jacks from Harbor freight. I'd check the tires for dry rot. Had a tire blow out the other day from dry rot. It was on a project sitting in my garage with very little weight on it.
One last time........I think its a bad idea to try to drive the car 2,000 miles without a backup vehicle after sitting all that time. Best of luck whatever you decide.


Not trying to be negative here, just realistic. Several weeks after my daughter-in-law returned, my son and I made the 1800 mile return trip with his pick-up and a newly purchased enclosed trailer. Texas never ends............

 

Im so sorry to hear the loss of your dad. Devastating.
But, Im sure he will be smiling down on you and your son's amazing adventure in his corvair. Naysayers be damned, itll be a trip you and him talk about for the rest of your lives, good or bad, you wont forget it!

 

None of the really fun adventures are a good idea. Remember, Joel just finished Drag Week in an early 30s coupe that runs low tens. I think he can handle a Corvair.

 

I am sorry for the loss of your father. On the other hand , it is great tribute to your father that you and your son are going to take the corvair on a 2k run. I would do the same thing as you both in a New York second and drive the car back to its new home. That is a adventure to add to the history of the car when passed on to the new owner.
Vic

 

Be sure and fill the tank , and drive it locally.

I had a airplane I never kept much fuel in. Dirt daubers crawled in the vent, and were attached to the top of the tank. When filled they loosened up after 3 flight hours and a emg landing was made. not being able to open the wing to get to the tanks, lots of water flushed the tanks out. Filters cleaned, carb also cleaned. and 5 gal of farm gas got me to the next stop.

 

Jim, I don't doubt his mechanical abilities, but traveling that distance and expecting that nothing will go wrong is pretty optimistic thinking.



I do wish him good luck on his trip..............

 

He's going to be prepared for things to go wrong. Of course, the things that go wrong won't be what he's prepared for, but that's when the fun starts!

I highly encourage this type of stupidity

 

Yep, things may possibly fail, but still, this is The Worthwhile Trip. Every mile of it is one You and your Son and Dad will be making together. Let us know what your trip route will be and I'm sure we can be along the way to help wherever possible.

 

I have this old dogeared, beat up, Rand McNally road atlas from 1997, that has made many a cross country trip with me in years past. Sure in this day and age, we have GPS and smart phones and other navigational tools that will tell us everything we need to know about where we are going.

I am sure that when Joel gets the Corvair up to speed and functioning at a level that he feels safe with, this is going to be one magical trip indeed!

Taking that all into consideration, and the fact that its now the fall season, when the colors are changing everywhere, and also considering that its an air cooled engine in the Corvair, I was wondering about the route that Joel will be taking. To me, it seems like a cool thing to head out on I-40 and when in Oklahoma, head north to Kansas City to connect with I-35 to Minnesota. Lots of flat land that wont be hard on the engine.

But that is just my 8 cents worth.



I am looking forward to following along on this trip, via the photo reports that Joel will be posting.
Go for it Joel and enjoy the challenge and magic along the way !

 

You know, funny, I was thinking that same thing. Potential snowfall in some of the New Mexico, Colorado areas, and not flat.
I'm sure you've already got this figured out.
Again, you are welcome here in Tulsa if you pass thru.

 

Checking the weather before leaving, is usually a good idea. If you time it right, you can be in rain for several days on this trip. Been there, done that, too many times.

 

Thank you, Jim..
Some folks do not have an adventuresome bone in their body.

Ben

 

I would take this trucker route. It’s very scenic, with no toll roads, and not too much boring Interstate driving. Mostly 2 lane hiway, but there are many sections with 3 lanes to help getting past slow pokes. I’ve taken it a few times. Just keep on I-35 north of DesMoines instead of the route on 151 to Madison Wi.!

 

I appreciate all the great replies and advice. I agree trailering the car home would be the wisest choice. But my sense of adventure is calling! I have considered what would I do if the car had a catastrophic failure that could not be remedied along the road. If that happened, I would just have to figure out a way to get me, cam, and the car back home. Maybe rent a U-Haul or something.

Cam was going to fly in tomorrow and we were going to drive out Right away. But the car is far from being ready so he canceled his flight. I think it is best for me to get the car up and running and drive it a couple hundred miles before he reschedules his flight. Time off work is an issue for him to have to deal with. If we have a breakdown that is going to take too long to get the car home, and he has to be back to work, I might have to buy him a plane ticket or a bus ticket or something to get him back and then I would finish the trip solo.

I will be watching the weather forecast carefully as well. I don't care to drive into any blizzards, that's for sure! And I want to avoid rain as much as possible. The weather stripping on this car is totally dried out, and I'm sure in a heavy rain it will be Niagara falls inside the car. Timing my departure and planning the route will take weather into consideration. I do want to swing through Denver if possible and visit my uncle along the way. But if the weather is too bad in the Rockies, I can take the southern route through Tucson over to lordsburg New Mexico then up through Vaughn New Mexico to Santa Rosa, tucumcari, then take 54 up through the panhandle, through Kansas, and take 35 up to Minnesota. That avoids mountains.

I did get the axles in and ran it on the jack stands to try and fling out grease from the rear wheel bearings but hardly anything came out. I got the carb kits put in, along with new fuel filters, put in the new plug wires, checked the points and condenser, they look new. Cleaned up the cap and rotor and it runs very nice now.
I did already flush out the fuel tank, and there is and inline filter that has been added between the tank and the fuel pump that I am monitoring.
I tried the blinkers last night. At first the right ones worked and the left rear came on steady but not the left front. Then after switching it on and off several times the left front came on steady but the left rear didn't. So I need to figure that out. The air doors on the back of the car did not open after running the car for at least 10 minutes and the temperature gauge never moved. It seemed like it was warmed up. Can you Corvair guys give me an idea how long it should run before those air doors open? If I push on them they open, seemingly against a spring pressure. The temp gauge could be dead, I'm not sure? The speedometer and tachometer both worked. It indicated about 2,800 RPM at 60 mph.
Also it seems to have an exhaust leak on the right hand side, apparently under the sheet metal cover. So it could be exhaust manifold gaskets? I see the dad had a new set of felpro exhaust manifold gaskets on hand. Maybe I'll end up installing those? There is a exhaust leak on the left hand side as well. It has tube headers and glass packs on it and the left hand tube has some holes in it. I'll probably try to braze those up without removing it. See the list keeps getting bigger, and it's taken a lot longer than I planned to get all this stuff done.

I'm getting a new tire put on the spare rim so I have a good spare. I also have a collection of parts that I have found in Dad's garage including a coil, extra points and condenser, a generator, and a starter.
I'll grab a few extra fuel filters of the clear variety so I can see if anything is getting in it. I got new rocker arm nuts for when I change out the push rod tubes, that should prevent any potential issues of the rocker nuts backing off on the trip.

Time to get back to work!

 

I did find this can of Mopar lighter fluid among my dad's stuff. I need to have a working lighter in the Corvair to power my cell phone. I'm not sure how to check the level on a Chevrolet, or if I just squirt this stuff into the opening where the lighter would go, or if there is a cup on top that it's supposed to go into? Maybe GM's are different than mopars and use a different fluid? Is there a dipstick for this?

 

Sorry to hear of your Dads passing.Wishing you and your Son a safe and fun trip.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Won’t be compatible with old GM
seals
Maybe pick up a few hand warmers in case you can’t source the correct heater vent hose