[NoVa-Corvairs] Need a little help and advice

[annepugs at verizon.net]

Ralph,

Hi.  I'm not sure if any of our more mechanically gifted club members can help you.  I'll let them speak for themselves.  I wouldn't be much use to you as I'm more of an observer/helper when it comes to the mechanical stuff.  

What I am pretty confident of is if the car has only been sitting for two years, it might be pretty simple to get it back on the road.
If the car was fine other than the trans leak, which you likely fixed (at least it should be easy to tell if you did or didn't), you probably just need to pump up the tires, charge the battery, and try to start it.  If it starts, sounds good (after a couple minutes of the lifters tapping) and isn't leaking anything badly, drive it around a bit and see what happens.  If it seems fine, it probably is.  The other big concern after sitting would be the condition of the gas.  Maybe one of the other club members will correct me, but if there's only a little in the tank, you might be able to just fill it up with some good gas and be fine. Again, this is where I would prefer one of the more seasoned guys to chime in.
They might say its worth the effort to drain the old gas out before you do anything.  

The most important safety issue would be brakes.  If they were fine when the car was parked two years ago, they're probably fine now unless rust ate away a brake line or something.  If you can start/drive it and the pedal feels good, the car stops well, and there's nothing pouring out of the system the brakes are probably fine.  Of course, if all goes well and your daughter does drive the car, she should have her road flares, a cell phone, and the 
number(s) of some tow companies along the route, just in case.  After all, the car is 40 years old and you never know.

Anyway, I know you weren't asking for advice but instead some actual help, which I'm sorry I can't provide.  Hopefully you can get it worked out. Good luck.

Mike Puglisi 



From: "Ralph R. Polachek, Esq." <rpolachek at verizon.net>
Date: 2008/09/03 Wed AM 11:47:41 CDT
To: Northern Va Corvair Club <novacc-list at corvair.org>
Subject: [NoVa-Corvairs] Need a little help and advice

[A re-send. Sorry. Last attempt in wrong format.]

All, a lot of years ago, my then 16 year-old daughter wanted a red 
convertible Corvair as her first car after she visited Carlisle with me. 
She got her wish. She attended a couple of NOVACC club meetings, and 
drove it all through high school and on weekends and summers when home 
from UVA. Then she graduated from college and moved to Costa Rica. The 
car has been sitting garaged for quite awhile now, as I promised her I 
would keep it for her. She is now expected to return home to Chantilly 
for a brief visit to attend a wedding in Charlottesville on the weekend 
of October 24th, and my wife pointed out that it would be a real thrill 
if she could drive her prized possession to the event.

I don't think I have the time or ability to really give it a thorough 
going over and generate any assurance that she might be OK to drive it 
on this short trip after it has sat for the better part of two years. 
Curt Shimp once gave me some good advice about the Powerglide leaks I 
was seeing, and I ordered the kit and replaced all seals. I never really 
drove it after that to determine if I had fixed the problem. I also 
recall that the gas gauge didn't work. I replaced the sending unit and 
it still didn't work. Don't know if I have a bad connection or need to 
get a new gauge.

I am very willing to hire someone with good mechanical skills and much 
familiarity with Corvairs to do this either alone or with me. I have a 
farm with a big separate garage, floor jack, and probably all the tools. 
Or, you could take it to your place. But I would be happy to accommodate 
here.

Don't know if anyone in the club would be interested in this on this 
time frame. Basically, I am crying "uncle" on this project I have had 
all good intentions to tackle for a very long time.

The car is a '68 convertible with '65 mechanicals (engine and 
transmission).

Will very much appreciate any offers for help, or suggestions and 
advice, from all. Please feel free to call me about any specifics. You 
will help me be a hero to my daughter who is now a young woman with many 
fond memories of this car, and I will give you all the credit!
-- 


Ralph R. Polachek
25588 Poland Road
Chantilly, VA 20152-1922
703-810-8440
703-648-3253 fax
rpolachek at verizon.net

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