[1969] '69 500 with Cloth Interior on Ebay, # 321686548673

[David Newell]

(Adding the '69 Group)

Hi Wade,
Thanks for the heads up on this 500: #5649 on Ebay. This is the first time I've seen anything about it and I don't recall Mark ever mentioning anything about a 500 with a cloth (seating area) interior. The car was first listed on our 1-06 roster update sheet, showing interior code 708 (500 green, all vinyl) and Paint Code 50, Dover White. The notes are "Ebay Auction 11/05, Idaho". It'd be interesting to hear if anyone in the '69 Group saved those Ebay pictures from 2005 and if the car had a cloth interior then.

My gut reaction is that the car was reupholstered at some point, perhaps by the selling dealer with a special customer in mind who backed out of the deal.

But it's interesting that the vertical pleat sewing pattern is very similar to that used in the standard '69 Nova interior. The standard Nova interior came with a similar green fabric though you can't really compare the fabric pattern by looking at the Ebay photos. It shouldn't have been difficult for Fisher Body to adapt a Nova upholstery set to the Corvair.

If this was originally meant to be a special-ordered interior for a VIP and installed at Willow Run, keep in mind that neither Willow Run or other Fisher plants sewed their own seat cover sets. The sets came to the plants fully sewn from the Fisher Body Grand Rapids Trim Plant. The car assembly plants simply installed the covers. If this car was a VIP order, Fisher would have supplied the custom seat covers to Willow Run from either Grand Rapids or from their experimental shops near the GM Tech Center.

Most importantly, if the interior was intended to be a VIP job from the start, the interior code on the Fisher Body tag in the engine compartment would very likely be "--", "SPEC" or some variation instead of 708.

The upholstery looks tastefully done and a bit out of place with the rest of the car.

Dave

--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 3/4/15, Wade Lanning <wblanning at comcast.net> wrote:

 Subject: '69 on ebay
 To: "Newell, David" <chevrobilia at yahoo.com>
 Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2015, 6:17 PM
 
 Hi
 Dave,
 
 I don't know if you got to see this low
 mileage car at the Jacksonville convention, but I talked to
 the owner about the interior there.  As I recall at the
 time he speculated it was re-upholstered soon after it was
 bought since '69 Vairs weren't made with cloth
 seats.  Now he's saying it is the original
 interior. 
 
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-Corvair-Monza-1969-chevrolet-corvair-coupe-/321686548673?forcerrptr=true&hash=item4ae60330c1&item=321686548673&pt=US_Cars_Trucks
 Wade