1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa

These pictures are from when we brought the car home from Oklahoma and car after everything was stripped out to send it to have the paint removed. A local plastic media paint stripper was used. This process is great in that it removes just the paint and body filler.

These pictures show the car after it had all the paint stripped and some of the bodywork completed. It still needs lots of work.

A few shots after the body was painted and reassembled. The amount of bodywork that was required was not foreseen. I don't like bodywork and after doing all that was required on this car it shows. I didn't want the car to be "too good to drive" and it isn't!

The front end before and after. All bushings were replaced. Tie rods and ball joints everything. While we were at it all the hardware was also replaced. The gas tank was cleaned and sealed. The steering linkage was also replaced.
Note: I didn't have a digital camera during the restoration process and was more interested in working on the car than scanning pictures so there are big gaps in the pictures here, sorry. I now have a digital camera and will have more pictures.

My first autocross in a Corvair. My oldest daughter, Megan, came along for a ride. She liked it and so did I! However, the car was very loose on the street tires and suspension setup.

Engine re-rebuild of 2003. While on the way to the 2003 CORSA convention in Carlisle, PA, the engine developed a rod knock. The car was flat towed to the convention and I still had a great time. Once the engine was torn down it was discoved that the crank end of 5 out of 6 of the rods were undersized! The vendor that supplied the rods took care of much of the cost of the re-rebuild. I got lots of help on the 'new' engine from local Corvair guru Glenn Zeisnes and now have a much improved engine.

Now tha the engine is running great, it's time to jazz it up a bit. During the 2003 re-rebuild, I had all the shrouds power coated. The old fan and pulley just didn't cut it. I purchased a power coated set from Larry Shapiro in the same shade of blue as Seth Emerson's wires. Now the engine looks as good as it runs.

Getting serious about autocrossing. This year I have a serious case of autocross fever. I placed first in the first event dispite being on my street tires and using the street suspension setup. I found that the late model Corvair suspension adjustability made it real easy to change the handling of the car. After a couple events playing with the suspension it was tire to get more serious (spend more money). These pictures show off the new autocross tires which really improve the handling.

Initially, I was unable to attend the 2004 CORSA convention in Lexington, KY due to my job. Halfway through the convention, the situation at work changed and I could go to the convention. I was hoping to at least make the autocross. However, my convention luck from last year hadn't changed as I hit a deer just east of Independence, MO. Fortunately, I was not hurt and the car was still driveable.

The Corvair Saga continues.... It turned out that I had insurance coverage for the deer incident. After searching for a new project I found a great new "1966 Corsa Coupe" right here in my own Club, MCCA. Click HERE to go to the new car's web page.

The story of the "Deer Hunter" has one final (?) chapter. After I got the silver car, I sold the remains of the "Deer Hunter" to Terry Kalp. He has much more body work talent and patience than I do. His talents and abilities can be seen in these pictures of the repaired "Deer Hunter." The car has been sold to a guy in Kansas City.