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Originally Posted by MagicRat
Welcome to AF.
That sounds like a nice car. Can you post some pics?
The first thing to do with any restoration is to decide how you are going to use it (Show car, special occasion car or daily driver) and come up with a plan (including estimated cost) on how to get there.
Often, it is cheaper to buy a really good old car than it will cost to fix one that is in really poor shape.
What you want to avoid is starting a project only to realize that the car will cost you more to fix than its worth.
So have a really good look at the body/chassis for rust/damage, at the interior and the mechanical pieces. Decide what needs to be fixed, and what would be nice to fix, but is not necessary.
Then make a list and attach costs to those. Work out what can be done first.This will be your plan.
Be objective about the costs. Look at the cost of really nice, used Corvairs like yours. Most Corvairs (turbo Spyders and convertibles aside) are not expensive to buy.
If you can buy one for less than it would cost to fix yours, then carefully consider if the project is worth it to you.
Corvairs are pretty simple and easy-to-fix cars. If you are handy, much of the work can be done yourself. The most difficult thing to fix is severe rust and/or accident damage. If the unit body is straight and reasonably rust free and if the engine and transmission do not show signs of being worn-out, the rest is pretty easy.
BTW unless you have lots of experience, imho avoid deciding on fixing everything at once. Plenty of first-timers decide to do everything on a car all at once; they take it all apart them become overwhelmed at the size and cost of the project then lose interest, leaving a garage full of useless car pieces.
I have found it's best to make the car drivable and enjoyable first. Then you can enjoy the car while you are fixing the details. This will help you remain enthusiastic about the car.
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This is great advice on how to begin bringing a car back!! Wish I had learned this when I was much younger.
My1966 Corsa Turbo Convertible is just sitting in the Garage waiting for me and money to get it back on the road.
My info says it is one of 580 built, and it's all original with faded paint.
Found it on Craigslist for $1200 and sent the check based on the VIN and 3 poor quality pics. I wonder what it is worth.
When i picked it up, it turned out to be rust free, no tears in the top and Mountain Lion tracks on the deck lid and in the back seat (it was in a barn near Paradise, Ca.)
I can't wait to get it running.
My First car was a 1960 Monza 4 door powerglide. Then I bought a 63 Spyder Vert, 64 Monza Vert, 63 Van, Put a 140 in a 1970 Vw Bus, Put a 110 in a 64 Bug, and more that I can't remember. Getting old sure dims the good memories...
I just found this group and hope to visit more often.
Does anyone want to help me learn how to post pics to this thread???