'66 Corvair "Marigold"

[Cameron 1137]

I might have struck gold with this one!

On tuesday i bought this 1966 Chevy Corvair 500 Coupe.
She is sandalwood tan with a fawn/tan interior. In bright sunlight the tan looks more gold, thus the name "Marigold"

She has a 164cid 110hp opposed six, fed with 2 single barrel rochester carbs, backed up with a power glide. She also has manual brakes and manual steering, like all of the other corvairs ever produced.NONE had ps/pb

This car is a ton of fun to drive, and so far it has proved to have pretty good gas milage.

In 1965 the Corvair body style changed completely to the more curvy and sporty lines, it was also the first year for the new Independent rear suspension.

In 1966, 36,747 500 Coupes were produced.

I can't call this a build thread, because, well, there will be no building, So I'm going to call it a "updates" thread. I will occasionaly post updates on things i change/ do to the car. I hope you all enjoy the pictures. Corvairs are another passion of mine, this being the second Corvair in the family. If anyone has a question about Corvairs, please feel free to ask, I like to spread knowledge about these cars!

[NONHOG]

Awesome! Love those. Good call on letting it be. I'd do the same. I have to admit a LS powered Vair fills my daydreams from time to time.

[Cameron 1137]

Originally Posted by NONHOG

Awesome! Love those. Good call on letting it be. I'd do the same. I have to admit a LS powered Vair fills my daydreams from time to time.

Thanks for the kind words! Its funny you should mention an LS Vair.








I saw this at the Adirondack Nationals car show last year in Lake George, NY. Looks like its a beast!

[cam.man67]

...and struck gold you have! That is beautiful, just the overall condition is great. I bet that's a real fun driver, have fun with it.

[Cameron 1137]

Originally Posted by cam.man67

...and struck gold you have! That is beautiful, just the overall condition is great. I bet that's a real fun driver, have fun with it.

Thanks man! she is a blast to drive.

[tubbedII]

That's really nice! I'm not very familiar with them, but is there an A/C option?

[Sillyoldman]

Super nice car!

[Cameron 1137]

Originally Posted by tubbedII

That's really nice! I'm not very familiar with them, but is there an A/C option?

Thank You.

Yes, both early and late model corvairs, starting in '61 had an A/C option, however, 67 was the last year for A/C in a Vair. Here are some Stats:

Air Conditioning was only optioned on Cars, Not on Greenbrier vans, Rampsides, Loadsides, wagons or turbocharged cars.

# of Corvairs optioned w/ Air
Early Models
1960- not optioned
1961- 3000
1962- 7650
1963- 6641
1964- 6401
Late models, with vents incorporated into the dash, and the condenser moved off of the top of the engine.
1965- 9483, largest production of A/C Vairs
1966- 4780
1967- 1396, the last production year with A/C, and the fewest produced.
1968 & 1969- Not optioned

Needless to say, it is rare to see Air in a Corvair.

Originally Posted by Sillyoldman

Super nice car!

Thanks!

[Frizzle Fry]

Beautiful example you have there!

[Cameron 1137]

Originally Posted by Frizzle Fry

Beautiful example you have there!

Thanks FF. I've been watching the sunbeam build. Nice work!

[67ChevyRedneck]

Very sharp car!

I do have to ask though... who does that 57 belong to? It's not listed in your sig. Looks like a "looker" as well.

[Cameron 1137]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Very sharp car!

I do have to ask though... who does that 57 belong to? It's not listed in your sig. Looks like a "looker" as well.

Thanks Jesse! The 57 is my Parents car. They bought the car in May of 2008, and we restored it that winter. It was our first "Family" restoration. Pics:

Before


Right after it was finished




With Cragers

[Cameron 1137]

I guess this is an update, just not one that i like to be posting

As I'm sure many of you know, Hurricane Irene is making her way up the east coast, and she is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so we have been bringing in and tying down every thing that could fly away.

We decided to put the corvair under the deck and under a tarp for the storm. she should be pretty safe under there.

[Clyde65]

Good luck with the wind/rain my man. Wish we could get a small part of that rain here. our prayers are with everyone there effected.

[vectorit]

Very nice!

I had the exact same color on a '65 Corvair Monza that I owned a long time ago. You are right, they are fun to drive!

I've been a big fan of the Corvairs for many years

[Cameron 1137]

Originally Posted by Clyde65

Good luck with the wind/rain my man. Wish we could get a small part of that rain here. our prayers are with everyone there effected.

Thanks Clyde, so far all we've gotten is rain, no real wind here. Believe me, i would happily give you all of the rain from up here if i could.

Originally Posted by vectorit

Very nice!

I had the exact same color on a '65 Corvair Monza that I owned a long time ago. You are right, they are fun to drive!

I've been a big fan of the Corvairs for many years

Thanks! You don't happen to have any pics of your corvair, Do you?

[vectorit]

Unfortunately I do not.

I owned my Corvairs back in the '90s, and so if I did have actual photographs they were lost.

I wish I did though.

But I still think of the 1965 Corsa convertible that I let go way back when.
I know the guy that has it, well actually his Dad has it now. But it is in a thousand pieces in his garage, and sadly he has let it sit that way for many years...

That one was originally painted a strange purple color from GM.

[Davemotohead]

Hi Cameron, I too Have corvairs,,actualy alot of corvairs and parts and I restore them for other people and Have been driving them for years,,my first car when I was 12 was a 69 corvair and have driven them ever since,,I have 28 of them at this time,,Fantasic fun cars if you build them right

[Keith Seymore]

We've had a few through the years as well -

Here's one, gettin' some work done:



Four one bbls on this one - there's seven carburetors represented in that photo!

K

[Cameron 1137]

Originally Posted by Davemotohead

Hi Cameron, I too Have corvairs,,actualy alot of corvairs and parts and I restore them for other people and Have been driving them for years,,my first car when I was 12 was a 69 corvair and have driven them ever since,,I have 28 of them at this time,,Fantasic fun cars if you build them right

Very cool! i got into corvairs when i was 14 with this one:



i would like to have a 69 someday.

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

We've had a few through the years as well -

Here's one, gettin' some work done:


Four one bbls on this one - there's seven carburetors represented in that photo!

K

Cool photo! Corvairs are tough little cars.

[big mike71]

I saw a corvair station wagon awhile back, I didn't know they made them.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by big mike71

I saw a corvair station wagon awhile back, I didn't know they made them.

How is that even possible? The engine is back there, you'd have to let the kiddes sit on the engine block in the back

[big mike71]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

How is that even possible? The engine is back there, you'd have to let the kiddes sit on the engine block in the back

Here's one I found on the net, The one that I saw was alot nicer.

[67ChevyRedneck]

That actually looks pretty cool. I did a little research on it, the back was used more like a "bed" for storage, no kiddies sitting on top of the motor

After seeing the pic, I think I've seen one before, I remember wondering what the hell the vents were for on the side of the body (now I know they're for the engine), it must have been one of these.

[AirSpeed]

Beautiful car! I used to have two, a 65 Monza and a 62 spyder. The 62 was the ugliest car i ever owned and the only turbocharged car i have ever owned . I had a lot of fun driving the 65, it was super fast and handled awesome once I got used to the rear engine. The only thing I didn't like was the occasional cab filling cloud of black smoke that I would get once in awhile. I could never figure out where it was coming from.
I still have a pair of bucket seats I pulled out of it when I found a pair in better shape than the ones that came with it. I spent a fortune at Clarks Corvair parts. I still regret selling it!
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