My Corvair Restoration Page Two

Jeff's Corvair Restoration Page 2

03//08/10 Re-installed the wiper arms. Then, I had to work on the drivers door. The window would not roll up all the way. So, I
removed the door panel, and adjusted it tracks.

Re-painted the drivers side rear wheel well. Then, I gave the rear inside floorboards a good coat too.

03//09/10 Had a little excitement when I came home from work last night. When I was driving down my street, all I could see were
fire engines and smoke. It ended up being the neighbors garage that is directly behind mine had burned down. Maybe, I should check
and see if my insurance is up to date.

Finished the last wheel well today. I will wait on the engine compartment until the new top is put on. Hopefully soon.
I plan on being done by the end of April.

03/13/10 Over the proceeding week, I have been working on the Corvair before I go to work. I had removed the lower shrouds,
and exhaust. Started stripping the paint from the engine sheet metal that could not be easily removed.

Today, I stripped the old paint from the exhaust system, the lower shrouds, thermostat doors, and the valve cover heat shield. Then,
everything but the exhaust was re-painted with high temp engine enamel. While I was waiting for them to dry, I repainted the sheet
metal I could not remove under the car.

I have ordered a Clark's ultimate aluminum oil pan. It adds a extra 1/2 quart of oil capacity, and the rear oil drain makes it a lot easier to
change the oil.

I am not sure what to do with the valve covers. I want to run the original exhaust shield, so you can't use the taller aluminum valve
covers. I have found a dealer that has refinished original stock valve covers. He has them in different powder coated colors, or in
chrome. I will think it over this weekend.

03//24/10 I ordered a set of black powder coated valve covers and a silver powder coated fan today. While I was repainting the
engine bottom, I saw that my motor mount had failed. I am checking to see if any members has a rebuilt one laying around, but I have
a feeling Clark's Corvair will be getting another order from me before its over.

I have been repairing small things while waiting for parts to come in.

Today, I removed and repaired padded dash radio surround. The foam was very bad in parts of the pad, especially the top bar and the
narrow bar under the radio. I removed the foam and filled it with black silicone adhesive/sealant. It was very hard to get the pad to
hold its shape, while the silicone cured. I used tape, and cardboard to hold the vinyl in shape. If a previous owner had not glued the
pad to the upper dashboard, the job would have turned out better. But it looks a lot better now.

I also re-glued the vinyl on the headrest. The glue had released holding the vinyl on the bottom of the headrest. I used the same silicone
adhesive to glue the vinyl back down. The bottom plastic covers were very warped. I used a heat gun to warm them up, then flatten
them back as original.

I took a few dash pics but with the flash they turned out bad. I will take some later in natural light.

04/02/10 Replaced the motor mount today. I used a jack with a 2 x 4 board. I also put a tire under the stock oil pan, just in case the
jack slipped. All the old bolts came out easily. Then, I installed the rebuilt mount with all new hardware. You really can see the
difference between them in the pictures.

The old rusty valve covers were replaced with a pair of powder coated stock covers. When I was cleaning up the valve cover
retainers, I found 2 of them were cracked. Luckily a friend of mine had a couple of them put away, so it did not delay the
re-assembly. I also re-installed the muffler heat shield and the re-painted exhaust system.

04/02/10 Replaced the stock oil pan with a Clark's ultimate oil pan. It is made of real thick aluminum, with fins on the inside, and
outside of the pan. The main reason I changed it was for cosmetics. But, it will help keep the oil cooler, and it makes it easier to
change the oil. The oil drain plug is now at the rear of the car.

04/10/10 The Corvair is going in for its new top. I talked to an upholstery shop owner, that was recommended by a fellow Corvair
club member. They had done a great job, installing his new top. Next Tuesday morning will be the day.

04/13/10 Dropped off the Corvair this morning. I stopped back by about lunch time to take a few pics.

Later the same day. He called and said it was finished. WOW, what speed. It turned out great.

To keep everything clean in my dusty garage, I have encased my Vair in plastic. Temporarily.

04/16/10 Removed the front seats today. Then, I used 3M seam sealer on the seams that needed it.

After the seam sealer had set, a final coat of POR-15 was applied.