[PPCC] Halpin Selling His '64 Spyder - Good Running Car

[halpinem at comcast.net]

Hello PPCC, RMC, and CNM Members (Jim Pittman: Please feel free to share the above info with the members of CNM as well. Thanks), 

With my '67 sedan currently in paint and an interior to follow, I've decided that in order to offset some of the costs for that project, I reluctantly need to part with the one-owner '64 Spyder I picked up last year. 

I had mentioned the decision to sell at last week's RMC meeting, where there was some serious interest from a couple folks, but I wanted to put the word out across all three Clubs, seeing as how Tri-State is coming up and folks tend to get the bug for a new set of wheels :) This is a good little car, and I want it to find the right home, within the Corvair community. So, before I put it up on eBay or Craigslist and ask stupid money (cause people pay stupid money), I wanted to reach out to club members first for an opportunity to keep it here in Colorado/NM, with someone who appreciates the car. I'll provide more details and pictures to those who might be interested, but here's the low-down: 

I picked up the car from an estate sale in Colorado Springs early last year (2014). It was a 1-owner car that spent it's entire 50 years in the Springs, however, the owners had never joined a Corvair Club. I had a chance to sit down with one of the kids (now an older fella) who grew up in the back seat of the car, and get some history on the car, which was pretty cool. Mom and Dad had bought the car new in '63, and as things go, Mom and Dad divorced, and Dad gave Mom the car. Mom was part of the Ski Patrol, so the Spyder made the trip to Breckenridge every week for years during the winters. The kids remembered racing Corvettes on I-25, yelling to Mom, faster, faster (sounds like scary fun :) ) 

After I got hold of the car, I went through it front to back, working up all of the mechanicals doing the bearings, brakes, suspension rubber, new tires, gas tank connection hose (no more gas leak in the front), and leaf spring bushings. 

Onto the engine: I did a compression test and every cylinder was over 100psi (not bad for having over 115k original, running miles - this car has not sat for years, it's been on the road for 50 years). Did the oil change (with zddp) and basic tune up (plugs, cap, points, rotor, condenser), deflashed the heads and barrels, cleaning all of the oil and grease off of the engine, then resealed everything with new gaskets. There are zero leaks on this car. The turbo was removed and taken to Steve Goodman for cleaning and inspection. Coming out of Steve's shop, the turbo was in brand new shape. All of the tins on the car have been powder coated "gunmetal black" and the engine compartment has been refreshed with a new paint job and wiring. "New" thermostat bellows we installed and even the gas filter is NOS, correct, and in the right place. New exhaust piping and turbo muffler, along with hoses and wiring, all refreshed, replaced, or upgraded. Heater hoses were replaced, and new seals put on the bottom tins. No dripping oil to burn up and stink you out in the winter. just nice hot air in the cabin. The 4 speed manual transmission makes no noise, clutch is good and tight, and the shift linkage has been refreshed. 

On the black interior; it's all original, and shows 50 years of wear and tear that a daily driver would. I gutted the cabin, cleaned it out of old change (almost found enough for a six-pack of beer :) ), cigarette butts, and dirt/dust, then replaced the carpet with an early set of NOS I had, but it must have shrunk over the years cause it comes up a little short where the two pieces (front and back) meet up at the seat line. The driver's seat was pretty much gone, so that one has been replaced with a more comfortable reclining seat out of a Pathfinder (I do have the passenger seat, just haven't installed it yet). The dash is all original, with the brushed aluminum, as well as the glove box door. They are in very nice shape. Shifter has the original white 4 speed ball. Headliner is in great shape, and all of the glass is there, no broken windows. 

Externally, there are some dings and dents. There is some rust on the typical early model locations, like on the left side of the engine compartment where the battery is located (the old acid batteries tended to fume up or leak sulfuric acid, which eats the paint and exposes the metal to the elements, so, rust above and below in that area.), and a little down by the front wheel well, behind the tire. It does however have the correct Spyder hubcaps, with that awesome spider insert in the center. 

Everything on the car works, including the gauges (gas, boost, etc.) and it rides great. With an electric fuel pump, it starts with one turn of the key. It's solid in the turns and grabs the road as a '64 should with that stiffer suspension and bigger motor. It's just a fun car to drive. 

Ok, so now, what's wrong with the car? In a couple words, it's a stinker :) While the engine does not need a full rebuild, after discussing options with Mr Goodman, the rings do need to be replaced, and all that goes along with that (barrels honed, new cylinder gaskets, etc.). While a turbo car is expected to blow a little smoke as you go through the gears (normal according to Steve), this one puffs a little more when you get on the gas and kick into boost mode. So, it burns a little oil, but how much? On a recent trip from Castle Rock to Golden (about 50 miles), for the E-Days car show, I burned about an 1/8th of a quart of oil (10w40), averaged 32mpg on the gas, averaging 75 mph. 

For those of you who have done a ring job before on a Corvair, you know what's involved and can easily assess the effort. For those of you who have never ventured past the basic maintenance of your car, I can tell you that when I rebuilt the engine on my '60, I had no experience at all getting in that deep on the engine. It turned out to be fairly easy; just reading through the shop manual, getting yelled at by Steve Goodman a couple times (my fault :) ), some time, some help from my neighbor, and of course some money for parts and machine work. 

If you're looking for a light mechanical project which will result in a fun car to take to car shows, cruises, and the Tri-States, then this might be a car for you. If you're looking for a turn-key Spyder to hit the highway, then this might be a car for you as well, however, I wanted to make sure that the ring issue is known because you won't get the ultimate performance out of this car without putting that extra work effort into it. 

Now, the big question: How much? with what I paid for the car and have put into it, I'm invested around $6k. I'm looking to get rid of the car before the end of May to put the money into the 67, so I'd like to move quickly. Understanding that the new owner will need to put some money into the car, a fair offer around that number would be great, which I believe is reasonable for a solid, running turbo car, but the market will determine what it's really worth, right? We've all seen non-running cars being offered for stupid prices because they're "rare" and all that nonsense. Let's see if someone local wants the car before I move to the expanded marketspace. 

If interested, please shoot me an email and I'll share some more pics and answer any questions you might have. If you know someone outside of the Club that might be looking to recapture the excitement of that Spyder they had in high school or college (everyone has one of those stories at a car show), please feel free to pass on to them this email. 

Thanks, 





Ed Halpin 

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