A Likely Candidate for a Car Classic Restoration Project

A PR representative of one of the car companies approached me recently about helping to look for an antique (old, classic, whatever) car. She said she always liked the looks of the mid-60s Corvairs and wondered if one would make sense for her. The questions were the usual ones: would it run reliably? Would it hold its value? Are parts available? What would one cost? What's the best way to find one?

I enthusiastically encouraged her choice of cars. While the Corvairs were low-priced cars in their day they were far more innovative than their competitors - Falcon and Valiant. GM spent a lot of engineering time to create a rear-engined, excellent handling car that would sell in the "economy car" market of the 60s.

Contrary to popular belief, the engines were quite rugged and the loss of the [infamous] fan belt would only inconvenience the owner for a little while. Engineers had developed cylinder heads that would take over 600 degrees of temperature in overheating situations, so very few Corvair engines ever died from losing fan belts.

They did leak oil to some extent, I explained to the PR lady, and gas mileage wasn't anything to be proud of. Most of the complaints about reliability in those days were due to carburetor tuning and ignition point wear rather than inherent design flaws. Rust was a problem, as it was in every other car.

The great things about Corvairs were their sports car-like handling (by 1964 the rear swing axle instability problems had been solved) and European good looks. The interiors were a little Spartan and the stick-shift mechanisms could go out of adjustment but overall the cars were easy to work on and parts were cheap. The cars still are cheap because they are some of the most undervalued of collectibles to this day.

The reason Corvairs are undervalued is the same, I think, as why Edsels are undervalued. Both models are perfectly good vehicles and no less sturdy or reliable than any other of the era, but they carry a stigma that can't be worn away. They both have undeserved reputations involving quality (Edsel) and safety (Corvair). Both are false but history has a way of clouding the truth.

I'm helping the PR lady find a Corvair. She wants a decent "driver," which means we'll look for an older classic car restoration or a solid original car. I expect it will cost between $3-5,000 to obtain, plus some fix-up investment.

What's not to like about a Corvair? The cars are cute, simple in design and parts are quite inexpensive. There's no cooling system to rust out and the heaters actually work, unlike the VW Beetle.

Now I'm looking for someone who wants to buy an Edsel. It'll be fun to help them find one.