<VV> Juna Tuna

[Kirk Eck]

I promised Ned I would post about my experiences at Juna Tuna on Saturday
which was held at Terry Kalp's shop. Well as some of you might remember I
was having trouble with my taillights, terry came over to my house and
figured out that my fuse box was shot.  So my goal for Saturday was to
replace the fuse box with a different one provided by Terry.  Now you all
need to understand that when it comes to mechanics I am basically, well I
guess the word is an idiot so I had no idea what I was getting into.  Ned
assured me that it could be done and so I began pulling the wiring off of
the donor car, Ned told me to pull off the tunnel under the car and pull the
harness that runs along to the back of the car, which I did and I worked my
way from the back to the inside of car.  I pulled the carpet, some of the
heating ducts and looked up and saw a plug, realizing that I didn't need to
pull the tunnel and I could have unplugged that harness and just pulled the
fuse box (DOOHH).  Oh well it was a learning experience lying in the weeds
fighting off mosquitoes, I have never removed a tunnel before, now I can put
it on my resume.  To make a long story short, I pulled the fuse box and then
reinstalled it in my 66 convertible, as is usually the case it took twice as
long to put it in as it did to pull it out.  Fired the car up and the left
side taillights still don't work, by this time I was pretty tired and
getting cranky, Ned stepped in and figured the problem out ( I forgot what
the problem was but we installed a new socket).  Anyway around 6:00 p.m.
(started around 10:00, did stop for what was a great lunch, sloppy joes not
venison, there was a promise of homemade ice cream, but someone failed to
produce it, not mentioning any names, NED) I was up and running everything
worked, well everything essential that is, still have no fan and no power
top, but dang it for the first time since I've owned the car I have a glove
box light!!!  

 

So I pull away feeling a great sense of accomplishment, flying down the
highway cars humming great (listening to Mr. Roboto on the ipod), have to
hoof it over to my mom's who was watching my son all day so I could play.  I
get off the highway and the car dies, it starts up right away and I continue
on, well kind of, it stutters it bucks it wants to die, I still have 5 miles
to go, car dying at every light, fortunately it starts up every time and I
make it.  It limps in to my parent's house, my father standing on the
driveway shaking his head at the sound of the car (he just doesn't get why
someone would drive an old car when they have a perfectly good new one at
home to drive).  So my mother bless her heart says, "Why don't you come in
and eat." (two free meals in one day WOW) I do and an hour later I'm on the
road, the car running great again, that is until I get 4 blocks from the
house it starts to sputter and stutter, once I get up to 40 it runs fine but
under that it runs like c$#*p.  

 

So one problem down and another to figure out anyone have any thoughts?
Being new to the Corvair I'm starting to wonder if this madness ever end.  I
was a little upset when I arrived home, I parked it for the night and my
seven year old looked at me and said, "The cars not running very well, tell
me again what you did to the car today."  Aren't kids great!  So Sunday I
had to spend time with the family and didn't have a chance to look at it,
maybe tonight.  I need to figure this out and then I have to fix the power
top, my wife can't get the top down (on the car that is) and so it is a high
priority in our house.  So my questions for all of you are, what do I need
to look at to fix the running problem and how the heck do I get to the motor
for the power top and why isn't the top motor in the shop manual or is it
and I missed it?  

 

One more question, how do I change where my VV list gets sent, I would like
to receive it at home instead of work (I think my boss would appreciate me
posting at home also).

 

Oh and I have to thank everyone at the Juna Tuna who helped out, I said it
before and I'll say it again, you Corvair guys are a great group (better
than those Mustang guys).  But Ned put a bug in my head that I thought about
all weekend, he said my front coils were to tall, now I want to cut them and
Terry's new earlier purple vair is sweet and has a beautiful set of knock
offs on it, I need a set of those and that great air conditioning unit and a
new boot for my top and a new paint job, my engine needs detailing and....

 

Kirk Eck