Corvair Revival

I bought a 1963 Chevy Corvair. It hadn’t been on the road since 1978. Getting it roadworthy again was a challenge I’m grateful to have been able to undertake.

When I embarked on the project, my experience as an auto mechanic was next to nil. To wildly understate things, I’ve learned a lot. In the end, I replaced the gas tank, shocks, and all the brake hydraulics. I welded in patches to the floor pans and rebuilt the dual carburetors. To Chevrolet’s credit (or mine? It depends on how self-aggrandizing I’m feeling) the car’s only left me stranded once. The generator decided to buck the onerous requirements of, you know, generating electricity. 3 hours from home. Ask me about it.

Working on this car has instilled a respect in me for the engineering discipline pre-computer. The most advanced electrical component of the car is the still-functioning AM radio. Nevertheless, the car starts up every time, even in winter. Careful design, leveraging deep understanding of physical principles made that possible. The project has also informed my own engineering practice - designing for ease of maintenance, for instance. Three hours into trying to replace a parking brake cable, on my back under the dashboard, debating whether or not to take a plasma torch to the steering column itself, I made a solemn oath to myself to Do Better.