1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza 4-Door

The specs:

• Ermine White Exterior
• Beautiful Aqua Vinyl Interior - no rips or holes, just a cracked dashpad
• New Carpet with Mats
• 102 HP Flat Six Engine
• Powerglide 2-speed Automatic Transmission with Dash Shift
• 46,xxx Miles when I got it
• New Goodyear Aquatreads

The work:

• Rebuilt carbs
• Repaired rust in trunk and new splatter paint
• New trunk seal
• Tune-up including new cap, rotor, points, and condensor
• New heater duct hoses

The story:

I needed a more efficient car for commuting, but I wanted to keep driving an old car. I had a '62 coupe for over ten years that was used as a daily driver for a couple of periods - once by my wife, then finally by me as I was selling it. So I knew about the reliability, fun to drive, efficient nature of the Corvair. Plus, my wife hated the '66 Catalina, and it was her idea to get the first Corvair. So, with her quasi-blessing, I made a straight-across trade.

It's spent the last couple of weeks in my garage, displacing the '65 LeMans, undergoing some rust repair and a tune-up. Soon it will be on the road and the LeMans will be back in.

Update: It's now on the road as my daily driver. I put at least 30 trouble-free miles a day on it. In fact, I just got back from driving it to Carlisle, PA for the Spring Carshow and Swapmeet. Got over 25 mpg, but I wish that I'd put in the new radio. The original AM worked fine, but my station choices were limited.

Update: My daughter is using this as her driver. She drives it a few times a week now, but if she gets a job, it'll be on the road more often. The new plan is to pull the engine out of this one and put in her '64 convertible rather than go through the expense of rebuilding that engine (which is now in pieces). She and I are going to get everything else done on that car before we put the engine in.