Spoils, no... Spoiler

One tiny project I should do right away (if the weather would warm up a little) is install the spoiler on the front end of the car. Even though the 65 did not have a spoiler installed, its recommended to add a 66 to it for the added handling on the freeway. The spoiler adds about 150 pounds of downward force to the light front end which is exactly what I need.

I could always go the route of dropping some weight in the trunk. Um... No

Should be a 15 minute job, heck, I already have the spoiler!

Out on the Toy Run
Well, the car has been running great. I've been taking it out once a week just to keep it from sitting idle. I would classify it as a Sunday Driver right now. There is still plenty of work to do, but its becoming a reliable driver.

This past Saturday we took it to the yearly Toy Run. Cars of all types go down to Henderson to donate toys and have a good time. There were over 100 cars there and one Corvair, mine. Many people came over to talk and most told a similar story of how they had one or they knew somebody who had one. All the comments were positive.

We then all got into our cars and followed Santa (being pulled by a classic Cutlass Convertible) to the elementary school with gifts in hand. The kids were waiting for us and Santa passed out the gifts. It was a great time had by all. Link to more photos from the Toy Run.

Top Priority
So now the big issue is the detonation (Knocking) I get when the turbo is boosting. The car runs great when the turbo is not in use, but when it winds up, the car starts knocking bad. I have a few options. First I need to make sure the pressure retard unit is working correctly. I can try to activate it while the car is idling with a bike pump or something while I have a timing light on it. If it proves to be working okay, than I may need to install a safeguard system that will listen for knock and adjust the timing accordingly. That is the best option. I've looked into water injection systems, but the kind I was looking into would be damaging to the turbo over time. My best bet is the Safeguard. First I'll check the diaphragm for the retard unit though.

Corvair Aligned - Then Dead - Now alive!!!! Oh and fuel pump moved....

Busy week for the Corvair. I finally got the alignment done. It sure does drive straight now! On the way home though, the clutch died! It was only a year old, but the pressure plate broke. Sheesh! Those old parts are unpredictable.

I limped over to the mechanic and had the clutch replaced. I also had him install an electric fuel pump and fix an oil leak. I was tired of getting stuck somewhere with Vapor Lock, so this should solve the problem.

I also had the shrowds removed from the bottom. Living in the desert, it gets a little too hot for the engine. This will help.

I still have a fuel leak to find when I'm boosting and the car knocks pretty bad unless I retard the timing down to 18 BTDC. It should be at 24. I'm looking into a couple of options. My pressure retard may be bad. Not sure how to test that. We'll figure something out!

I still have to install the speedometer as well. One of these days!

New Problem Solved!

One of the great advantages of belonging to a car club is the pool of knowledge there to suggest fixes to your problems. That's what I did at the last meeting and the solution to my problem was discovered there. It turned out to be a bad coil!

Coil replaced, problem fixed!

Now I just need to get back to the alignment!

New Problems!

Okay, so now when the car gets hot, it loses power when I try to maintain speed. So badly that its like the engine cuts out altogether. It happened first when I was boosting down the freeway. The engine cut out completely. Then, it came back. Now, whenever the engine gets hot, it does it. I've already changed the points and reset the timing. It could be a carburetor issue

Back to the mechanic it seems! I do have offers from some of the guys in the club to work on it. I just don't think I have the time right now to do it. I'm still recovering from my long 7 month run of work.

I also need to find my speedometer and put the thing in. I've had it from the beginning, but always found something else to work on instead of getting it installed. The steering wheel is a little further back so I may be able to replace it without pulling the wheel.

Progress is still being made!

The new steering box is in! It handles much better! I need to get the alignment taken care of to make it drive even better. I think after that, it may finally be time to put a working speedometer. There's a project on the back burner for some time. I'd also like to get a stereo in there some time soon. Then I can be cruising to the tunes! Alignment first though. My mechanic knows a guy who works on Corvair suspension so I'll have to give him a call soon. If I wasn't doing 90 hours a week at work, it would be done already!

Mike