Vehicle Description
1964 Chevrolet Corvair Rampside Pickup
If Chevrolet's Corvair proved not to be the stake through the heart
of Volkswagen that the GM brass hoped it would be, you couldn't
blame the division for lack of effort. Chevrolet spun out the
lineup in every direction it could think of, offering not only
coupes, sedans, convertibles and station wagons, but also a line of
forward-control light trucks that included two pickups, the
Loadside and the Rampside, to take on their counterparts from
Wolfsburg.
Yes kids Corvair did indeed offer a pickup and here we have a
fantastic example in a 1964 Rampside pickup. A rear air cooled
engine, a fold down side panel forming a ramp to the bed on the
passenger's side, and real mid 60 Ermine white with Ember Red paint
scheme and an original restored interior, we are off to the Ralph
Nader races! And all in low low mileage, 19,913 original title
verified miles to be exact.
Exterior
At first glance this pickup would appear to be a cab over, or cab
forward design with the flat front and bog panoramic glass resting
above the central grille and dual horizontal headlights in the oval
bezel. But ALAS that engine, it's in the back. This flat front is
painted mostly in Ermine White with the grille and headlights
surrounded by Ember Red which has a thin pinstripe on either edge.
This thins out a bit, and as it wraps around the sides it goes
through the doors and bedsides, just about mid truck. The paint is
chipped in a few areas and has been applied thick and the gaps are
nicely minded and large mirrors rehanging off of either side. The
bed is nice and long, all steel and has some storage boxes also in
steel showing on either wheel rear wheel well. The bed is painted
Ermine White and looks good. On the passenger's side is a fold down
ramp that allows access to the bed for a lawn tractor or whatever
needs a bit of a push to get on the ramp then on to the bed. The
back of the truck has the arrowhead pointed outward tail lights all
in the red striping, and a shiny bumper below. Ember Red 14-inch
steel wheels have a central chromed moon cap with a bowtie badge
and are wrapped in thin whites from 1990.
Interior
A swing of the wheel well notched doors shows us some gold painted
steel panels for the edges, uppers and lowers. In the center is a
white painted steel panel, which houses the actuator, and cranks as
well as a red and white vinyl covered small armrest. As we move
inside, a long bench stretches from door to door, and has neat mid
60's zig zag pattern broadcloth inserts in shades of green and
brown with the seat uppers and bolsters are in red vinyl. There is
also a delineating stripe in white between the broadcloth and vinyl
and its in vinyl as well. A factory white steering wheel fronts the
dash, and this dash has a dual oval design with the instrument
cluster in aluminum and horizontal speedo and flanking knobs and
pulls and turn signal indicators. Just right of center is the
climate control sliders and where the keys hang the gold is
scratched off. In the dash center is the ash receptacle and a box
housing the Delco bowtie badged AM radio. In front of the passenger
is a corresponding to the instrument oval glovebox door in brushed
aluminum. Rubber flooring covers the floors and is nearly perfect.
A long shifter reached for the driver, and looking above we see a
steel framed headliner with an insert with some perforations in
melamine board painted gold as well.
Drivetrain
Unbolting the rear bed panel we have the Corvair air cooled 164ci
flat 6 cylinder engine which puts out 95hp. There is a single
2-barrel carburetor on top and a 4-speed manual transmission on
back. The rear axle is a 3.55 version.
Undercarriage
Up on the lift is an unrestored undercarriage which shows some
patina with the black paint and a bit of surface rust peppering the
surfaces under here. The exhaust pipe and muffler has heavier
surface rust. Most of the undercarriage framing is covered in steel
panels painted black showing some wear and plenty of small factory
drilled divots. Independent coil springs for the front, and
independent swing axle with trailing arms and torsion bars are on
for the back to hold extra weight. Drum brakes are on all 4
corners.
Drive-Ability
In true Corvair for this car started right up and purred on the
idle. The test track was not a match for this nifty truck and
handling was good. The truck pulls to the right when braking though
but otherwise all functions were working swimmingly.
A neat example of a not oft seen Corvair truck in pickup side ramp
form. The paint is mostly good and the interior looks the 60's
part. All steel and rust free on the bodywork, and a smooth running
air cooled engine. Ralph Nader can kiss my ass!
4R124S108520
4-1964
R124-Corvair Rampside/Loadside
S-St. Louis, MO Assy Plant
108520-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.
