Convertible Quest, Conclusion

Over the last couple weeks I have looked at a number of convertible '65 Corvairs on the Internet and I have come to the conclusion that market value for a complete, rust free car in restored but not show condition starts at about $6,000 for Monzas with no special equipment and goes up from there, with primo concours cars reaching into the $12,000 to $13,000 range.

Probably the smart move would be to buy a complete car for about $7,000. There were a number available in that neighborhood.

As I looked at cars, my mind was drawn back to the Evening Orchid convertible I looked at in Homer. The car obviously was going to need some serious bodywork at some point, but it had a number of selling points with me. First, despite its need for some body repair, in all other respects the car was complete and in decent condition. Second, the idea of getting a Monza with a 'Glide appealed to me. I figured that this would leave some allure for my Corsa, and give me a reason to drive that car. Third, I thought I could buy the car for a decent price.

The offer I had left the seller with was $2,000 for the car as is, or $2,500 for the car in running condition. After some thought, I realized that it would be my preference to get the car running myself, since ultimately if it ran satisfactorily, I would end up owning it. I called the seller and reiterated my original offer, but added that I would be willing to do the work necessary to get it running. We agreed that if it ran satisfactorily I would pay $2,500 for the car. Having reached a deal, we set a time of 1:00 p.m. on Saturday to meet at the seller's place. WMCC member John Cole agreed to meet me there to help with the car. Jim Neal agreed to let me borrow his enclosed trailer. Friday night, Jeff, Jim and I unloaded the '67 triple black GTO convertible (sweet!) that was stored in the trailer and hooked up my Suburban to the 24' Haulmark.

Saturday we were hit with one of the worst storms of the winter. The snow started in the morning during the hour drive to the seller's location. Along with me were my trusty friend Jeff and my oldest son, Jacob.

First order of business when we got there was to give the car an oil change and put in a fresh battery. This done, we went to work trying to get the car started. We then jacked the car up and disconnected the rubber fuel line above the left rear wheel. We attached a six foot section of fuel line and dropped it in a five gallon tank of premium gas. As before, the car fired on ether, but the carbs remained dry. We pulled the fuel pump apart and found nothing wrong. Jeff then tried holding the fuel line in the air, pouring gas in it and blowing it through the carbs. This did the trick. The car fired and began running steadily.

We edged it out of the garage into the growing blizzard for a quick test drive. I first took John for a drive up and down the country road and then went back and got Jeff. The transmission shifted and kicked down as it was supposed to and the motor ran fine. The brakes grabbed a bit, as I expected for a car that had been sitting for a long time, but this was as expected.

I decided that we had a deal.

We got to work loading the car in the trailer. Here you can see Jeff and John with the car after we got it strapped down:

I only slipped on the snowy plywood trailer ramp and landed on my rear once.

I paid the seller, and he gave me a title. Then began the long drive back to DeWitt in white-out conditions. I'm glad I did not have to make the drive in the Corvair. With the snow and my new Vair and a borrowed trailer in tow, I decided that prudence was the better part of valor and I crawled home while others blasted by me.

We unloaded the car at my house and unloaded all the boxes of parts that came with it and returned the trailer. By this point we were exhausted.

This morning I got up early, waxed the car in the garage, and pulled it outside for a photo session. The car fired immediately and idles smoothly.

Here are the pictures; the wheel covers are a set of factory mags I pulled out of the barn to replace the aftermarket wires the car came with:

This is the first Corvair I have purchased since 1987, and my first convertible ever. It needs some work, so I will be posting updates as matters progress.