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Car of The Day: April 28, 2010; Johnny Lightning '63 Chevrolet Corvair Convertible
Topic Started: Apr 27 2010, 10:24 PM (837 Views)
craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

The car for today is Johnny Lightning's 1963 Chevy Corvair.

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The 1960 Corvair 500 and 700 series four-door sedans were conceived as economy cars offering few amenities in order to keep the price competitive, with the 500 (base model) selling for under $2,000. Powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) engine and three speed manual or two speed Powerglide automatic transmission, the Corvair was designed to have comparable acceleration to the six-cylinder full-size Chevrolet Biscayne. Introduced in January 1960, two-door models have a fold-down rear seat for added storage capacity, which was greatly needed as the spare tire was stowed in the forward trunk compartment. The passenger compartment was heated by a gasoline heater mounted next to the spare tire in the luggage compartment. While it offered immediate hot air, customers complained of what they thought might be decreased gas milage on cold days and through long winters. Chevrolet redesigned the heating system for the 1961 model year, yet left it up to customers to choose the gas heater until the end of the 1964 model year. The line quickly grew from utilitarian bench seat sedans and coupes to the more plushly appointed bucket seat interiors of the new 900 series Monza. It hit showroom floors in the Spring 1960. Two available options on Monza were a more powerful engine, rated at 95 hp (71 kW) thanks to a more radical camshaft paired with low-restriction exhaust, and the introduction of a fully synchronized four speed transmission. Despite its late introduction, the Monza sold 12,000 units, making it one of the most popular Corvairs.

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The Corvair was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1960.

The 1961 Monza was heavily promoted and sometimes referred to as "the poor man's Porsche". The Monza series expanded with a four-door sedan body style in addition to the two-door coupe, and garnered about 144,000 sales.

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To increase luggage capacity in the front the spare tire was relocated to the engine compartment in cars not ordered with All Weather air conditioning and the gasoline heater was replaced by a system of ducts that redirected warmed air from the cylinder heads to the passenger compartment. The gasoline heater remained available as an option through 1964. Corvair was the first of the compacts to offer factory air conditioning, as a mid 1961 option introduction. The large condenser lay flat atop the horizontal engine fan. A large, green painted reverse rotation version of the standard GM Frigidaire air conditioning compressor was used, and an evaporator housing was added under the dash with integrated outlets surrounding the radio housing. All Weather Air Conditioning was not available on wagons, Greenbrier/Corvair 95, or the turbocharged models introduced later due to space conflicts in those models.

The Corvair Spyder turbocharged engineIn 1962, Chevrolet introduced the 150 hp (112 kW) turbocharged Monza Spyder option for Monza coupes and convertibles mid year, making the Corvair one of the first two production automobiles to come with a turbocharger as a factory option, with the Oldsmobile F-85 Turbo Jetfire of the same year. The 500 station wagon was dropped in favor of the Monza wagon at introduction, however all station wagons were discontinued mid year in favor the new Corvair Convertible and Chevy II (built at the same assembly plant). Self adjusting brakes were new for 1962. Metallic brake linings and a heavy duty suspension consisting of a front anti roll bar, rear axle limit straps, revised spring rates and recalibrated shock absorbers were introduced as optional equipment. The Monza Spyder features a multi-gauge instrument cluster which includes a tachometer, cylinder head temperature and intake manifold pressure gauges, Spyder fender script and Turbo logo deck emblems in addition to the high performance engine.


1962 Corvair Monza CoupeThe Monza Coupe was the most popular model with 151,738 produced out of 292,531 total Corvair passenger car production for 1962.

The 1963 model year saw the availability of a long 3.08 gear for improved fuel economy, but the Corvair otherwise remained largely carryover with minor trim and engineering changes. The Loadside pickup was discontinued at the end of the model year.

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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
Another of my favorite JL castings. One that I wish would see a return to the line-up at some point. :(

On the plus side, a different kind of Monza is coming soon from JL- the '80 Chevy Monza Spyder. ;)
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James
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Mr.Bowtie
great info on teh Corvair, I didn't realize it had a gas heater!. just like the VW, my Dad was so impressed with the gas heaters on teh VW's we had. Instant heat for the very very cold New brunswick mornings. It was great.
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Sak
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Ezekiel 25:17
I remember my aunt's Corvair. The smell of gas when you were riding in the car was, let's say...
...well, at least it was better than the smell of three month old Jack-In-the Box that found its way under the front seat :P
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WoloMan
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Midsize
I find it interesting that JL used a off-white interior and black top...the contrast between the black and off-white didn't seem correct. I searched online and couldn't find a 1:1 with this color combo...it seems the interior was either a color close to the exterior or black, but never off-white/black top.

Also note the black dashboard/steering wheel doesn't match the rest of the interior. :o

I did some further research on the 1:1 and learned that there was a Corvair Greenbrier Sportswagon which was basically a minivan! :blink:
Edited by WoloMan, Apr 28 2010, 11:49 AM.
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James
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Mr.Bowtie
WoloMan
Apr 28 2010, 11:47 AM

I did some further research on the 1:1 and learned that there was a Corvair Greenbrier Sportswagon which was basically a minivan! :blink:
Any pics that can be imported or a link Woloman? I can't remember ever seeing a Corvair wagon.....
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WoloMan
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Midsize
Sure, James...here is the the Corvair Greenbrier Sportswagon:

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James
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Mr.Bowtie
Awesome, some diecast company need to make one of these up in 1/64!!!!!
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
James
Apr 28 2010, 03:31 PM
Awesome, some diecast company need to make one of these up in 1/64!!!!!
Agreed! :thumbup:
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Sak
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Ezekiel 25:17
Ah, the Corvan. As the compacts that came from the Big Three in 1960 set Volkswagen squarely in their sights, they also felt the need to get some of that business from the success of the Type 1 Transporter, aka Microbus. The Dodge and Ford models were very workaday, while the Corvan was the most interesting. It tried to match the versatility of the Microbus in many ways. Best remembered is the pick-up version, and it's fold down side panel.

These are VERY rare nowadays! And, I'd love to see a diecast Greenbriar, it would be awesome.

The Corvair convertible's nice. I have a maroon one on my diorama in the basement. I'm sorry they didn't do the second generation- it was a very pretty car.
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bob8748
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*In Memory Of*
The Corvair has a special place in my heart as it was the first car I drove. My father and I were way in the back roads and he stopped the car and told me to "get out". Being a somewhat problem child at 15, I really didnt know what to think. I felt a whole lot better when he said "your driving". If you really want to scare your kid that works. :huh: My father had about thirteen different ones while growing up, plus the rampside pickup. My uncle had a Greenbrier, so these are a favorite of mine. :thumbup:
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AQUA XK8
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Fullsize
I owned and drove a 64 Corvair back in the day. Being so light up front, the steering was very light. I could turn the steering wheel end-to-end with just a finger. I liked the car a lot. The main problem was the heater; the car interior would have a very strong exhaust smell every time I turned it on. I'd have to ride with a window down in winter.
Cool thing about these engines is that you could change the rings on just one piston is you wanted to, without disassembling the other cylinders.
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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
I've bought a number of these JL Corvairs over the years and given them as gifts---but I think the comments above by our members are more fun than the diecast. Great auto history. Love this site and the people here!
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James
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Mr.Bowtie
So what is teh consensus? From you guys who actually owned or drove Corvairs....

Are they Unsafe at any Speed?

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bob8748
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*In Memory Of*
I think Ralph Nader was bought off by the competition. I've never had a problem with them and I drove a couple pretty hard. :D
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
bob8748
Apr 30 2010, 10:19 AM
I think Ralph Nader was bought off by the competition. I've never had a problem with them and I drove a couple pretty hard. :D
He was trying to make a name for himself (it worked). He threw jabs at Ford and Chrysler also, while AMC and Studebaker got off fairly lightly) but focused almost entirely on General Motors. Why bother with the minnows when you can go after the 100 lb catfish? The Corvair, unfortunately, was a scapegoat. No better (or worse) handling than most other cars of the time, I believe the rear engine is what prompted Nader to focus on it.
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