History
by John Gray
I purchased this car from Montreal in August 1994. The car was used as a company car and
the Sales Manager had an accident in 1973, bumping up the right front fender. The car was
parked inside a garage right beside the dryer vent.
Needless to say, the car did not respond well to the damp conditions. The rest of the car
became very rusty. In 1994, the owner had sold his home and the effort to move the Corvair
to the new home wasn't merited. The car was advertised in our club newsletter
Corvairiation (Corsa Ontario) for $1000.00. Knowing that the car had only 34 thousand
miles, I set off to Montreal with my tow bar and a fresh set of tires.
Needless to say, disappointment quickly set in once I got a look at the car. The owner
wasn't home but I did deal with his wife. I explained that the car was worth something
much less than the asking price but she did not have authority to negotiate a better
price. I left Montreal empty handed and somewhat disappointed that I have wasted a day to
see a piece of junk. Two weeks later the owner telephoned me back to accept my offer under
the condition that I would commit to restoring the car. As a side note, I have now learned
that my offer was lower than one made by a Corvair enthusiast from Montreal but that
individual wanted the car for parts only.
Three years lapsed before any real work occurred on the car. (Of course I had done a
comprehensive wash including flushing the rocker panels, removing the old mildewy carpet,
and oiling the cylinders to prevent the engine from seizing but that had been done within
the first month of ownership.)
In July 1997, we sold our small house and bought a larger one. The new house would not
have immediate storage for the car so I realised that something had to be done with the
"project". I contacted Mr. Brad Hall to
see if he was willing to do the structural work including floors and rocker panels. Brad
kindly agreed to the work and allowed me to take the car up to his place in August 1997.
In the meanwhile, I began disassembling the car in preparation for the welding work and to
save Brad some time.
Throughout the winter of 97/98 Brad cut out old floors, rockers, fenders and replaced then
with new steel panels. Brad is well known for saving very rusty convertibles and making
them healthy and strong again. I can say with great assurance, that my car is now as
strong or stronger than when the factory built it. Brad has also informed me that my car
was the rustiest car he has ever saved!
While Brad was doing all this work on the car, I was busy readying the space for the car
at our new home. I now have a "little shop" (25' X 52') for my project and some
space available to store a few parts.
Currently, I am disassembling the front suspension and scraping the wheel wells of the old
asphalt-based undercoating. I am hoping to send the car to the body shop in December 1998.
1999 will be the year to start to put the car back together and give it the detailing to
make it an outstanding example of a Canadian-built Corsa turbo convertible.
If all goes well, the car with be shown at the 2000 convention in Florida.
Information from the tags
Vehicle identification tag
 | Vehicle ID number: 61076704601 (6 = 1966 model year, 10767 = model [Corsa
convertible], 04601 = 4601st Corvair built in Oshawa that year) |
Body tag
| Body number: 264400 (4400th Corvair body built in Oshawa that year) |
| Body build date: 3/4/66, second shift |
| Paint: Marina Blue metallic (code F) |
| Top: Black (code 02) |
| Trim: Blue (code 722) |
| Options: turbocharger (code L87), 4-speed transmission (code M20) |
Other codes
| Engine code: T0301RL (T = built in Tonawanda, NY, 0301 = built on 3/1/66, RL =
suffix for turbo block) |
| Transmission code: Unknown at this time |
| Differential code: Unknown at this time |
| Alternator code: 5M30 (5 = 1965, M = December ["I" is not used due to
similarity with "1"], 30 = 30th day of month) |
| Starter code: 6A17 (6 = 1966, A = January, 17 = 17th day of month) |
| Distributor code: 5K29 (5 = 1965, K = October ["I" is not used due to
similarity with "1"], 29 = 29th day of month) |
| Carburetor code: H5 BK (H5 = August, 1965; BK =
?, probably some sort of revision code) |
| Turbo serial number: 48536 |
| Voltage regulator code: Unknown at this time |
| Ignition coil code: Unknown at this time |
Build sheet information
Unknown at this time.
Information from GM Canada archives
The summary sheet verifies the information contained on the VIN tag and body tag and
provides the original engine code. The summary also contains a few pieces of information
not found anywhere else:
| Options (not found on body tag): heavy-duty suspension (code F41), quick steering
(code N44), simulated wire wheel covers (code P02), 7.00x13 whitewall tires (code P54) |
| Production date: 3/9/66 |
| Shipping date: 3/10/66 |
| Delivered to dealer: GM of Canada in Montreal, QC |
Pictures
10 August 1994: Inspecting the car in Montreal, QC
My first impression! Ugh, this is a 34,000 mile car? Gee, what a nice crinkled up front
fender. Oh and look, what a fashion statement: whitewalls with mags... Errrr.
More initial impressions. This view was obscured by a lack of light and the garage
wall.
Maybe it's not so ugly after all! I'm beginning to see what it could look like, not
what it really is!
Engine compartment complete sans air cleaner. Shrouds dirty, greasy, or rusty. A quick
check of the engine number and body ID tag reveal that this is the correct engine for the
car.
26 August 1994: On the road home from Montreal
Things always seem better in the morning. These photos were taken outside the motel in
Pointe Claire, Quebec. It had rained during the night and helped clean off 21 years of
accumulated dirt from the car. A much improved appearance already.
July 1997: Part of the family now...
This picture was taken in the backyard of our last house. When I worked in the garden,
I lowered the top, opened the doors, and my son JJ played in the car. Now that the car in
being restored, JJ is going to have to find a new car to play in. Maybe the CORSA coupe in
the backyard will fit the bill?
January - April 1998: Restoration underway!
First picture shows left rear quarter opened up for repairs. Visible at the bottom are
the new steel rocker panels that have been welded into place. Second picture shows part of
a complete NOS quarter panel that was installed.
New battery box and filler panel installed.
NOS front panel and right front fender installed.
Replacement trunk panel fitted and ready for welding.
July 2000:
Priming and sanding
Doesn't that primer coat look great? The first photo shows
people at the body shop sanding away. In the second photo, note the great
impromptu storage for doors that only a convertible can provide! By the time of
the third photo, the car was ready for paint in the door jambs, engine
compartment, and trunk.
August 2000:
At long last, paint!
In the first photo we see body shop owner Terry Holdashaw
at the rear of my car. Terry did all of the painting for my car. The second and
third photos show the sides of the car with color and clear coat--isn't that Marina Blue just
beautiful? The fourth photo shows the dash area after the clear coat was
applied and the fifth shows the trunk in the same point in the process.
September 2000:
Back home for sub-assembly restoration
Here's the convertible in my garage and up in the air,
ready to remove the old front suspension.
December 2001: Re-assembly--a
Corvair emerges!
The first photo is a front RH view sans bumpers. You can
just barely see the 14" x 6" GM rally wheels with P185/60R-14 tires. The second
photo shows the rear with lenses and cover area bright trim installed.
The first photo shows the engine
compartment coming together while the second is a view underneath the front end,
showing the restored front suspension and new trunk floor.
These two photos show the interior as it
takes shape--blue everywhere. Check out the headrest front seats!
Summer 2003: Showing off the
finished product
John's friend Darryl Sherman, Chair of the
Downtown Board of Management in Oshawa, took this photo of John and his car at a
summer cruise-in. |
