<VV> Hats off to stock list

[Chuck Kubin]

Hey gang,
Love the idea of documenting stock components, and
hats off to all who collect and contribute the info.
Our cars just aren't as well-documented as some of the
others, and those who have all the knowledge will only
be here for so long. 
Last year's biggest car show in Denver had a dealer
with a 'Stang,  Fairlane and a Camaro, all listing the
factory options and how many cars rolled off the line
with those particular options. When you combine this
car, this color, this radio, this engine, this gearbox
etc., he could honestly say you were looking at  the
only car (or one of two)  ordered that way.

I wonder: has anybody ever taken two other approaches?


>From my earliest Corvair days I remember hearing that
the brakes on a late are essentially from a Camaro,
true or not.  If I was still inTurkey, the local
mechanic would go to the shelf and find a Murat
(Turkish-built Fiat)  part that kinda worked and would
make do. If no part fit, he'd use an appropriate rock
In fact, my friend had a Vega that was more Murat than
Chevy after being in Turkey for 12 years.

When my alternator seized near Eisenhower Tunnel, I
coasted to a gas station downhill. The mechanic said
it would cost millions and be years before someone
could jet off to Pluto and get a replacement, let
alone call to the other side of the hill on a weekend
and get one from Steve Goodman in Golden. It was only
when I told them I would rebuild it myself if they can
lend me a few tools and get a late 1960s GM alternator
for me to strip for parts that they balls upped and
acted like real mechanics. I showed the "trained and
experienced" wrench how to rebuild an alternator, a
first for him.

So the point is, when cheap, available, emergency  or
whatever makes  some OTHER parts a good choice, I
think a list of what else fits a Corvair is a good
idea.  I dearly love our vendors and the risks they
take to supply us, but occasionally, like me on my
nearly-spoiled road trip, a lot of us can't wait for a
fix. 

Occasionally I'll see something listing parts for a
specific job, like a junkyard dive priject, but it
would be nice to see ALL the spark plugs, belts, brake
drums or whatever that fit.  Has anybody ever done
this?

Another idea: has anyone ever consolidated  a list of
what aftermarket parts are/were out there?  I'm not
thinking about a Moog replacement suspension part
(this would go on the first list) as much as other
add-ons. 
Granted, this might be harder  than documenting stock
replacements. As examples, I bought my '68 with 14"
Shelby 0-offest mags, a black leather-covered
gearshift knob with a Corvair emblem and unknown
heritage, a 4bbl on a center plenum, a stereo
multiplex and set of rusty and worthless headers. I
know Crown had the V8 conversion and EMPI did a lot of
dunebuggy stuff. It would be nice to know if any of
this even belonged on the Corvair.

Has anybody done any work in this arena? It would be
nice from the collection/restoration/ hotrod
standpoint to know of and seek out these parts either
on the net or at swap meets. I'm only snobby enough to
like stuff made for the Corvair at some point than
just accept parts designed to doll up a '96 Honda.
Personal to the dope I saw with fluorescent orange
wipers on a '62 Monza: SHAME ON YOU, YOU MORON!!!!!


Chuck Kubin
Can't we all just get along?

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