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Post by Volktales on May 4, 2021 21:49:24 GMT -8
So it is no surprise to a lot of you that I have been wanting to get my hands on a Corvair for some time. Unfortunately I have discovered that there are just not that many of them around for sale locally, and the ones farther away are simply too expensive, or impossible to travel to look at anyway. This has bummed me out to the point that I basically gave up on any chance of finding something... Then something amazing happened... Look what rolled up on a trailer in my driveway today! A 1965 Corvair Monza 2-door hardtop, the model I wanted the most! And it looks fantastic parked next to my old '70 Beetle! So how did I get my paws on something like this after waiting so long??? Continued...
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Post by Volktales on May 4, 2021 22:03:14 GMT -8
Even in a semi-derelict state, it looks sexy just sitting there. You have no idea how bad I have wanted one of these. And the person that made this possible is Reagh of Funbugz fame. Reagh always seems to manage to find cool stuff stashed away, and he really came through with this. I was aware of this car listed on Facebook in Parksville, but not surprisingly it was snapped up quickly, and long before I could make inquiries. So I tried to put it out of my mind, but it was actually one of the reasons I felt like giving up looking for a Corvair. Given that this was the only second generation Corvair hardtop to be listed on the Island for more than two years, I felt I had missed the boat once again. But Reagh had been checking things out behind the scenes, and quietly managed to acquire my dream car, and then without letting on, dropping it off at my house and GIVING it to me!!! I didn't know what to say, other then thank you very much Reagh, and I owe you a big favour!!! And as things turned out, this story even got better!!! This odd picture tells a very important tale. Do you see that funny non-matching red trim on the door post? That is the very first thing I looked for, for a very special reason. It was 33 years ago that I sat in a Corvair for the first and last time. My buddy Hung was shopping for his first car, and we cruised the used car lots in my '70 Beetle looking for something suitable. We stopped at a place called "Beater World" (seriously) that was on the future site of Rutherford Mall. The star of their lot was a 1965 Corvair Monza, in fresh basecoat/clearcoat gold and it looked fantastic! Way out of my buddies price range, and no chance for me either, but sitting in that car made an impression on me like you wouldn't believe... Continued...
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Post by Volktales on May 4, 2021 22:25:06 GMT -8
And you can probably guess one special feature of that car all those years ago... You bet, it had red trim on those panels! This is EXACTLY the same car I fell in love with all those years ago!!! I once sat behind this very same steering wheel and drooled a bit while there. Unbelievable! I even remember that horn button at the time. This car really made an impression on me! The car appears to be complete; nothing obvious is missing, and there are a few extra parts and new parts as well. Reagh says the engine is not seized, and the fluids are clean in both engine and transmission. It looks like the carbs were removed for a rebuild, then the job abandoned. The carbs are in the trunk with the other missing parts... It may not be everyone's dream car, but it is certainly one of mine! And even more cool, courtesy of Rob S, I even have the exact year manuals for it as well. How cool is that??? Again thanks to Reagh for making this happen!!!
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Post by busaddict on May 5, 2021 0:33:12 GMT -8
Kewl, what a great story. Congratulations to Russ, and Reagh for being awesome! I know that feeling when you rediscover an old friend The question is, did Reagh know this was a car you were previously acquainted with?
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Post by Funbugz on May 5, 2021 6:56:19 GMT -8
No Tom, I had no idea. I had been following Russ's Corvair thread on the site, and talked to him several times about his frustration of not ever finding a suitable candidate. Also, Russ had transitioned from wanting/searching for a relatively finished driver to a "project" possibility. He had stated in that Corvair thread, "The first Corvair I fell in love with over 30 years ago was this exact spec and colour. So yes I am definitely ok with Gold, or Sierra Tan as the official colour is known. Still am having no luck at finding ANY Corvairs for sale in BC lately..." Soooo when the Universe presented the opportunity for this car, I took a chance that he might be ok with a practice project, while he waited for the right one to finally come available. I was shocked when he told me that this car was the same gold one that he first fell in love with 30+ years ago. The next time someone says "the universe works in mysterious ways", I'll know what that means. Russ has always been more than generous with helping me and many others in our VW community, so let's just say that his good Karma made a small part of his dream come true. Looking forward to seeing this project unfold. Something tells me, his new body work skills will come in handy.
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Post by PICTUP on May 5, 2021 6:58:12 GMT -8
Again thanks to Reagh for making this happen!!! Well done Reagh, but Russ, don't forget there were a number of people all spending time looking and making requests on your behalf too... Darren, Brent, Terry, Rob... and more than likely others I don't know about....
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Post by CrazyBrit on May 5, 2021 15:04:31 GMT -8
Wow. This is what the VW community is all about. It takes a pretty amazing friend to go out and locate the car that you want and then give it to you.
Kudos to Reagh and whomever else may have been involved in doing this for Russ. It has certainly gone to the right person.
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Post by tony on May 5, 2021 17:22:49 GMT -8
WOW , how awesome is that!😎😎😎 My dream car is ..... lol😁
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Post by Funbugz on May 5, 2021 18:57:02 GMT -8
No worries Tony...see you in 33 years, solar powered and lifetime warranty, yes?
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Post by 1hotvw on May 5, 2021 19:02:34 GMT -8
congrats on the car. you'll be polishing the engine soon. and yes i do remember beater world.
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Post by tony on May 5, 2021 20:42:44 GMT -8
No worries Tony...see you in 33 years, solar powered and lifetime warranty, yes? They won't even let me drive by then!😁
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Post by Volktales on May 5, 2021 22:46:40 GMT -8
Again thanks to Reagh for making this happen!!! Well done Reagh, but Russ, don't forget there were a number of people all spending time looking and making requests on your behalf too... Darren, Brent, Terry, Rob... and more than likely others I don't know about.... Yes I do have to thank the others that have been scanning the ads for me for the past couple of years. Darren actually made me aware of the ad for this car, Don made enquiries about it, as did my friend Terry. Don has also sent me countless ads for other Corvairs for some time to keep my spirits up. And of course Rob S keeps telling me how cool they were to drive as he is the only person I know who once owned one. And there have been others who have offered help in terms of looking at potential cars far from here (Brent). HighTopRob has also sent some ads, and of course others have supported the whole idea of getting a Corvair in the first place. Thank you all for your support! And of course I did not do anything on the Ghia tonight, as it was poke around the Corvair instead. What did I find??? You will have to wait until tomorrow...
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Post by magikbus on May 6, 2021 7:12:30 GMT -8
I now know of a car that's going to receive LOTS of TLC ;-) Stan
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Post by Volktales on May 6, 2021 15:44:05 GMT -8
I got off work early today and what did I do? Went to Canadian Tire, got their last bottle of Marvel Mystery oil to dump in the cylinders. And two tubes of chrome polish. I mean what more do you really need???
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Post by CrazyBrit on May 6, 2021 16:00:38 GMT -8
A set of disc brakes for your Ghia😉
You did order them before Reagh delivered the Corvair didn't you?
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