1964
Corvair Monza Convertible, 4 Speed. This is a really fun car to
drive, and I can promise the smiles to speeding ticket ratio will
be in your favor with this car.
This was the personal car of the former president of the Tucson
Corvair Association. It was restored from the ground up twelve
years ago. I purchased from the estate last year after the car was
in storage for three years. Selling the car for the estate was
the
Corvair specialist who has knowledge of this car from the early
70's and has worked on the car on and off for the past 30 years.
His business card says to call him for "service & conversation"
about Corvairs! This mechanic states the car won many awards at
local and regional car shows and was known regionally as "Tweety".
It is claimed to be an Arizona car with no rust. The stock 164 CID
/ 110 HP engine was rebuilt, and resealed 200 miles ago (just prior
to storage), in addition the transmission and rear drive
were rebuilt during the restoration process, and new interior, top,
chrome, glass and weather seals were also added. The odometer shows
just over 11K, which can be assumed to be 111K, however as
mentioned the car was completely serviced very recently. The
mechanic states the vehicle was covered in storage and started on a
scheduled monthly basis, however he also rebuilt the carburetors
and drained/refilled gas tank prior to sale.
Since purchasing the car, a new three-stage paint job has been
completed. This included painting the interior and exterior,
including removing all trim and door panels. The old Lemonwood
Yellow looked a bit lifeless, and the new color is a Chevrolets
Pulse Yellow Metallic. As you can see in the pictures it resonates
well with the saddle tan interior. I am fastidious and there is one
dime-sized spot on driver side forward panel with a swirl from the
painter in the clearcoat, there is another spot on hood near center
of windshield which is not absolutely smooth. I also added new
electric and mechanical fuel pumps, new battery, new ignition coil,
new sparplugs/wires, new speaker, new ignition switch, new
backup limit switch, new fuses and bulbs where needed, new Corvair
letters and badging, and new padded dash. In addition I added a new
steering wheel, however the original steering wheel with vintage
center piece is also included. The new steering wheel is
smaller diameter and was added primarily to make it easier for my
6'4" frame to enter/exit the driver's seat. Finally I have also had
the Corvair specialist perform a complete car service
and inspection for the car to be long-distance road ready and
provide "smiles for miles". A picture of the service invoice is
included, details included full tuneup including replacing
distributor points and condenser, complete oil and air filter
change, and
welding a hairline crack in one control arm. Wheels are a style
choice, I like these vintage wheels and feel it gives a powerful
look. The 13" tires have nubs still on but they are twelve years
old and were added by the Corvair specialist from his
inventory.
Stock wheels on this car are 14" size equivalent and a set is
available online for $200 (the 13" size are more
performance-focused but are also available online for $250 per
tire). My original intent was to export this car to Europe and we
have also done a
custom GPS calibrated kilometers per hour speedo conversion, upon
buyer's desire I can convert speedo back to MPH.
This is a dual exhaust car and hopefully the video will give you
the experience of being in the car and hearing the aggressive
sounds. One of the great benefits of owning a Corvair is the wealth
of parts and information available online and in community
discussion
boards. For a car that ceased production nearly fifty years ago it
is testament to the production quality and entertainment these cars
have provided. I believe to this day it remains the only American
mass-produced rear engine air-cooled design. Corvair styling
is divided into Early (1960-'64) and Late Model (1965-'69) designs.
In 1960 the Corvair won Car of the Year honors when it was
introduced and the distinctive "high hip-line" styling influenced
many cars that followed. By 1964 GM had addressed any questions
of the commonly used at the time swing axle rear suspension (Ralph
Nader's claim to fame; interesting to note GM never lost a single
case) with suspension modifications which included the use of a
transverse leaf spring, and it also developed a larger
displacement
engine than was available for earlier models.
