Really, Just One

Click here for a Video, "Last tow for Glinda."

Last night I completed the transaction of selling Glinda. For the first time in nearly fifteen years, there is not a road-going Corvair available for me to drive. As I mentioned previously, Scarlett is being mothballed so my TTT (see sidebar definitions) is completely focused on my LeMans.

The closure of Glinda’s sale was not without a few iffy moments. First, the buyer hadn’t contacted me for a while. In fact, the last contact we had was him acknowledging my sending him detailed photos of Glinda’s rough spots. I was afraid he was having second thoughts, and I was fretting about dealing with the deposit he’d sent me. Then, Friday I received a text from him explaining how he’d injured himself at work, and asking me if I’d be will to transport the car to his home in northern VA. He said he had the balance of payment in cash on-hand, so I agreed to take the risk he may still renege and I’d be towing the car back home. I got to his place just after twilight. He did a thorough inspection and test drive, handed me the money, I signed over the pink slip, and it was done. I was out of the Corvair-driving business for the foreseeable future.

And Then There Was One

What a momentous weekend. Last Saturday, I sold Luna and took a deposit on the sale of Glinda. Within a couple hours, my car-world went from Corvair-centric to LeMans-centric, and I couldn’t be happier. Once the sale of Glinda is complete, I’ll be putting this blog, as well as Scarlett’s wreck repairs, on hold.

My efforts to document the trials and tribulations of old car roadification will not end however. I’ll be creating a new blog that will start with the extraction of my 1965 Pontiac LeMans convertible from its storage spot behind my garage. This long-suffering car needs plenty of attention to get it back on the road after twenty-three years of sitting. Really, this car has never been roadworthy since I bought it in 1985.

Back to what happened this weekend. I got a call last Wednesday from a guy in PA interested in Luna. He told me how he’d fixed up a couple Corvairs before (a EM coupe and a LM 4-door), but always wanted a convertible. He’d sold the two he’d had and was in the market for a project. I answered all his questions, and we ended the conversation with him saying he was interested. Saturday morning I got a call asking if he could come by that afternoon. I gave him my address and he arrived around three in the afternoon. After about forty-five minutes of talking to me and thoroughly checking out the car, he asked me how far down I’d go. We went back and forth until we settled on a sale price of $1700 plus the cost of gas for me to deliver the car. I believe he got a very good deal, but, more importantly, Victoria (the daughter who’d bought this car back in 2012) and I can move on.

The story of Glinda’s (presumed) sale is very different. Around ten Saturday morning I had the following text conversation with an unknown phone:

Him: Hello Tom do you still have the 68?
Me: Yes
Him: Standing here with Lee he says I need to buy it.
Me: Tell Lee I think he's a smart man

I didn’t hear anything more until soon after Luna’s buyer had departed. Then, a long-ish text popped up explaining who the sender was and making me an offer of $2500 to buy Luna, the 140 engine pieces, and my tow-bar. I replied that the engine stuff had been sold and I needed to keep the tow-bar since I still had old cars that would probably require a tow in the future. He then asked a few questions and I answered them and he offered me $2000 and I accepted. He PayPal-ed me a deposit and we made plans for him to come and conclude the deal in two weeks.

And with that the fleet has shrunk to one.

UPDATE: Luna has sold and is gone. Recurring Theme (i.e. Luna’s also for sale)

UPDATED 1/10/17: Added more photos to the bottom of the post.
UPDATED 1/9/17: Added video links.

Last week Victoria told me I should sell Luna for her. She has accepted the fact that her life is too busy to spend the time required to roadify the car. I feel badly for her because she really likes the car, but I can’t work on it without her. Add to that her supposedly reliable, modern car sucked all the spare car time she had during the first half of last year, and she’s in no mood to give up what little free time she has on another car. I put a listing on Facebook and Craigslist and have received the following notable responses: trade for a motorcycle (had to say no), low-ball offer, “I’m still looking and will get back to you,” and an appointment for someone to come by Saturday to look at her. Currently, her battery is dead, but I plan on jump-starting her Saturday morning and adjusting the carbs so she at least runs and drives for any prospective buyer. I toyed with the idea of welding in the patch panels in the rockers and the front fender, but there are too many other priorities in my life right now.


With that said, here’s the pertinent info on Luna. She has a 110HP engine with a Powerglide automatic transmission. Currently, the engine doesn’t run since she needs a battery and a tuning of the newly rebuilt carburetors. She has new tires and a new top, but the top’s installation isn’t perfect - needs some adjustments. There are rust issues in the rocker panel, right front fender, and passenger door, but replacement panels and door are included. The odometer reads 24k miles, but I’m sure it’s 124k. The top is manually operated, but goes up and down easily. We’re asking $2000 for the car with the extra parts. More photos at the bottom of this post. Here's a video of the engine running. Here's a video of me driving the car around our neighborhood.


As I mentioned in my last post, I am selling the parts needed to build a 140 HP engine. Here are a couple photos of the major parts included (note buyer gets two blocks to choose from). Also included is a bin of internal parts including the lifters, rods, pistons, oil pan, fasteners, etc.

I’ve not had any offers on Glinda as of yet, but I’m still hopeful a buyer will come along soon.
As part of my Corvair Reduction Plan, I’ve taken another load of GUPs up to the Corvair Ranch. In return Jeff presented me with a front end of another ’64 to use to repair Scarlett. This cleansing has allowed me to take down the storage shelves in the garage making more room for working. Unfortunately, after pushing Scarlett against one wall, there’s still a large part of floorspace is being taken up by aforementioned front clip. Hopefully, this weekend I can cut it down to something that’s closer to what I need and recycle the rest.


Here are more photos of Luna.

UPDATE: Glinda has SOLD. Time For Another Change (i.e. Glinda's For Sale)

UPDATE: Deal went through. Car has gone to VA.
UPDATE: Well, actually I have a deposit on her sale. Fingers are crossed it goes though.





For Sale: 1968 500 coupe. Tripoli Turquoise. Was a 110/PG, now has a four speed manual transmission with a posi rear differential. Engine is the stock 110 with 75k miles and runs strong. All the smog equipment is long gone. This was my daily-driver until the salt hit road here in Baltimore.

Other changes from stock include: relocated jets in the carbs, Z-28 wheels, lowered one coil all around, Koni shocks, polyurethane bushings, quick-steer arms, Roger Parent throttle linkages, Cobalt seats, raised air cleaner, Flowmaster muffler, Pertronix II ignition, Seth's plug wires.

Extra parts included: solid trunk-lid, solid trunk bottom, tight steering box, choice of Corsa dash w/ gauges or manual transmission Monza dash with gauges, driver’s door panel, leftover touch-up paint, rear bumper, 5-point harness.

Also available are the following 140 HP engine parts: '66 RM code block, crank, cam, distributor, like-new heads, exhaust manifolds, '65 throttle linkage, two secondary carbs built by Grant Young and never used, and upper engine shrouds.

I’ve driven this car at NECC events and it is a blast to drive - competitive too. Brett Aston is fast and drives a quick Corvair. At New York Safety Track, his best lap was 2 minute flat. My best lap was 2:03.

The whole package can be yours for $2700. Minus the 140 engine stuff, I’ll let it go for $2100.

Sold, But Not Quite Gone

Yesterday evening I was hit by another bittersweet moment. The selling of a fleet member, while a relief to my limited time and funds, still brings the proverbial tear to my eye. I recounted to the buyer how Ariel and I spent many hours together getting her car on the road and many more keeping it there. Yes, Ringo had more than his fair share of breakdowns, but it’s not those memories that’ll stick with me. It’s the evenings and weekends I got to spend with my daughter turning wrenches and screwdrivers, wielding wire wheels and paint brushes, swearing at the frustrations, and celebrating the victories. By the way, the above photo of Ringo was taken the evening of April, 2006 when I first saw him.

“It’s going to a good home,” John promised after we sealed the deal with a handshake. He plans on taking care of all the issues I haven’t been able to get to. He’s got a friend that’s good with a welder, so replacing rust and bondo are already on his to-do list.

Part of the deal will be me delivering the car to his home just across the PA line. Even though I was just at the Corvair Ranch, I needed another excuse to head up there, since I’d forgotten a couple items I should’ve picked up on last Saturday’s visit.

Three Piles

Last Friday I was contacted by a prospective Ringo buyer who said he’d try to come out and kick some tires Monday. In preparation for that I went digging for the good EM hood I’d promised would be part of the deal. I knew it was in the stall behind the garage, so Saturday I went digging. That area, for a while, was a catch-all for all things automotive and otherwise that I didn’t want cluttering up the garage. As I flipped up the tarp that partially covers the open end of the stall, I decided it was time to get rid of some of the excess stuff. The creation of three piles ensued. Pile 1 would be nastiness destined for the dump. Pile 2 would be bound for the Corvair Ranch. Pile 3 was the keeper pile – the stuff I’m just positive I’ll find a use for in the future.

Pile 1 ended up being three destroyed tires and a set of 14” 4-bolt wheels from an old Toyota. I’m sure the lovely Loriann would be disappointed to hear that I couldn’t find more for the pile. Pile 2 currently consists of a couple bucket seat frames, a box of LM parts, five 5-lug stock wheels, and a single 4-lug. Earmarked for this pile are an aluminum steering box, a rebuildable EM axle assembly, a couple Powerglides, a pair of bellhousings, a ’64 empty engine with bellhousing, a couple boxes of pistons, rods, and cylinders, an engine blocks, the seats out of Glinda, and some odd sheetmetal pieces. Pile 3 ended up being the aforementioned EM hood, a LM hood, two LM engine lids, and bottom section of a LM trunk.

The rest of the items in the stall are the LeMans and LeMans-related parts and pieces, gardening stuff, the sand-blast barrel, and a car-top carrier Brianna won’t let me throw away. Back to Ringo and my efforts to sell him. The prospective buyer couldn’t make it Monday, so it looks like he’s planning on coming Saturday. Also, another guy is interested and he may also come down over this weekend for a look. Not holding my breath.

For Scarlett, we’re down to just the rear window install, and weatherstripping and window fuzzies, which I’m planning on picking up Saturday morning. Bright and early I’ll make the drive up to the Corvair Ranch to get rid of the Pile 2 stuff and bring home the Scarlett stuff as well as a few items for Glinda (500 fender badge and a GUP steering box).

Speaking of Glinda; one picture is worth a thousand.
Yeah, she’s been sitting, interior empty, for far too long. Need to get the floor patched and the Cobalt seats installed before I have to park her for the salt season.

Dead as a Doornail

This morning I slid behind the wheel of Glinda and went to insert the key into the ignition and found something distressing. The switch had been left in the ACCESSORIES position. When I turned the key to the ON, ironically no idiot lights came on even though I felt like an idiot. BTW, is that the correct usage of ironic?

Expectedly, the starter was silent - and motionless too. I let the car roll down the hill some and let out the clutch with the transmission in third gear. The engine spun, but never came close to firing. Irr. I walked back to the house, moved the awesome Challenger out of the driveway, swapped the battery from Scarlett to Ringo, and drove him to work.

Never a dull moment.

I received a response to Ringo's For Sale posting on Facebook's Corvair Trader group. The interested party wanted to know if, 1. I'd be willing to meet him halfway between Baltimore and his home in Maine, and 2. did I think Ringo could make the drive. I responded yes to both with the caveat that the money changes hands (virtually = PayPal) before I hitch Ringo to the truck for a six hour tow. I explained to him the only reason I was towing was I needed transportation to get back home.

Three Things

Occasionally – ok, frequently, I get RCS, or restless car syndrome. I can’t just be happy with what I’ve got – I need to drive something different.

A few weeks back I experienced the best cure for RCS when the lovely Loriann entrusted me with the keys to her Challenger while she was away. I had the EXTREME pleasure of making that awesome automobile my daily-driver. Each time I slid into the leather driver’s seat and my hand fell to the pistol-grip shifter, my day was made (or re-made as the case was).

While a week at the wheel of a Hemi Challenger with a six-speed is an absolute cure for RCS, it’s only temporary since the lovely Loriann has the keys back). It did, however, reinforce that “Life is too short to drive boring cars.” While I enjoy the truck’s cold A/C and Ringo’s attention-grabbing appearance, I love being behind the wheel of something sporty; something that requires my left leg to operate a third pedal; something with taut, race-ready suspension; in other words, Glinda.

But what to do when winter arrives and the salt hits the roads and attacks fifty-year-old steel? Last winter I parked Glinda under a tarp during salt-season and either drove Ringo or the truck, and I’ll do the same again this winter (although without the currently for sale Ringo). I’d really love to have a non-boring fun car that will withstand the attack of the salt, and since winter is, sadly, gonna’ get here before we know it, I feel I need to begin looking for a candidate.

First, though, I needed to discuss this with the family’s arbiter of sanity, the lovely Loriann. Her response? Do three things. First, finish fixing Victoria’s car (complete). Second, sell Ringo (in process). Third, get Luna out of the driveway (Victoria’s rowhouse residence has a waiting parking spot in the backyard). Okay, all done or doable.

Second, what do I want? It’s got to have a manual transmission, sporty suspension, decent power, no more than two doors, and be 20 years or older (MD historic tags). The car that’s at the top of my list is a second-generation (’91-’96) MX-6. Ever since that body style came out, I’ve loved the looks, and from the personal experience of putting well over one-hundred-thousand miles on one (until a stop-sign-running dumptruck totaled it), I can attest to their wonderful handling, comfortable interior, and reliable engine. I went through my collection of photos from years past and could only come up with two that would prove I used to own one.


Other cars on the list are the Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, BMW 3-series, and VW GTI.

SOLD! - Ringo's For Sale

Click here to see a video this car starting and running.

My daughter and I got this car back on the road about ten years ago. It got her back and forth to high school, college, and assorted jobs. Five years ago, when the original engine started to burn and blow lots of oil and rust issues became too extensive to ignore, we took the car off the road and put some real work into it. I decided to rebuild a newer 95 HP engine with new bearings, rings, pistons, cylinders, and seals and bolted that to a rebuilt Powerglide transmission. As part of the drivetrain swap we replaced the heavy, inefficient generator with a modern alternator. To deal with the rust, we welded in new rocker panels, floor panels, and body patches before coating the underside with POR-15, and laying down Black Cherry Pearl 2K paint over epoxy primer.

About a year ago, she decided to upgrade, so the car became my daily-driverIt was her daily-driver until recently when she upgraded. and has been, for the past year getting me to-and-from The new engine runs nicely on 87 octane, starts up every time, purrs around town, and cruises easily on the interstate at speeds above the local posted limits.

Purists will see that, in addition to the non-factory paint, this ’61 has the rare (okay, never factory offered) ’64 Monza trim and the even rarer (okay, also never offered) ’62 seats. The rear bumper guards, however, were offered by the factory back in the day.

The rigors of driving during the salt season have taken its toll on the body and there is some rust that should be dealt with. New patch panels are available from Clark’s Corvair Parts and used panels are out there as well. I’m including a solid replacement hood, wheelwell trim, and leftover paint, and more is available from Summit Racing. The bodywork on the right rear was necessary due to a tire coming apart on the highway and beating the inside of the wheelwell and the fender. I didn’t replace the torn wheelwell, but patched it with adhesive-backed membrane. This has served well for the past year properly sealing the interior from road noise and rainwater.

Two issues that I live with, but would be easily fixed (if I had the time) are: 1. the heater cable won’t slide freely so every fall and spring I slide under the car and manually switch from no heat to full heat or vice-versa (I am including a replacement cable – the defroster cable/lever works fine); 2. either the solenoid or the ignition switch is unreliable, so I’ve installed a switch on the inside that always energizes the starter (Corvair Ranch will sell you replacements for both that are easily installed).

I’ve got quite a stash of parts, so if the buyer is interested, I can sweeten the deal with spares like a good, used cylinder head and a starter (while I’ve not needed these on the rebuilt engine, it can’t hurt to have backups).

I’m asking $1800. Feel free to make me an offer, but please don’t ask what my minimum price is. I don’t have to sell this car, but it’s time to move it on, so I’m only somewhat motivated.

Three Steps Closer to a For Sale Sign

This weekend I was actually able to spend a lot of time working on cars (some Corvairs even) while still completing the major house project I had committed to. Saturday I spent a couple hours redoing Ringo’s rear brakes. This was one of those projects where one thing led to another which led to another. First, as I was disassembling the right rear to install the GUP e-brake cable, I noticed the shoe linings were in pretty rough, cracked shape, so I went to the box of GUP EM brake parts and pulled out two forward and two rear shoes to use. Once I got the right side put back together I moved over to the left. There I found the liners in even worse shape (had it been that long since I’d changed them?). Anyway, I put the parts back together including lubricating and turning down nearly all the way the adjusting wheel. Next, putting the hub on was much more difficult than it should have been. I made a closer inspection to ensure nothing was amiss with my work and I found the rear shoe wouldn’t retract completely to the post. Close inspection showed the one piston was seized in the wheel cylinder. A few persuasive taps with a hammer and the piston retracted and seemed freed up. I completed the brake reassembly, mounted the tires, and dropped his rear off the jackstands. After firing up the engine using the hotwire under the hood, I let the engine warm up thoroughly while I put away tools. Next, I backed him up onto the ramps so I could properly adjust the emergency brake cable length. Once that was done to my satisfaction, I drove him back down, and moved on to the more pressing project of the day – the new kitchen.

The next afternoon I’d promised my buddy, Jonathan, I’d come over to see if we could, together, solve his Corsa’s starting woes. Of late, the engine won’t consistently crank when the key was turned – the starter would spin, but the pinion of the Bendix drive wasn’t always engaging the ring -gear on the pressure plate. Additionally, the last time he’d tried to crank the engine, the solenoid got stuck in the start position and the starter just spun away. The only way to stop it was to disconnect power to the starter. We did a bit of checking of the wiring and everything seemed to be in good stead (12 volts to the purple wire when the key is in the Start position, power to the engine with the key in the On position, etc.). After those checks and reconnecting all the leads, lo-and-behold the starter stopped its incorrect spinning and responded to the turn of the key again. We hadn’t, however, fixed the inconsistent cranking. The engine would only turn on every fifth or so turn of the key, and once it did start cranking it wouldn’t even make it a full revolution before the pinion would pop out of engagement and the starter would uselessly spin freely. Jonathan removed the starter and we connected it directly to the car’s battery and watched the Bendix as I shorted the S terminal to 12V. Strangely, the pinion would pop out upon the starter being energized, but it would not stay in the full out position. After a second or two it would begin to slowly draw back into it’s at rest position even though the starter motor was still spinning away. Hmmm. Bad starter perhaps? He’s going to go get another rebuilt one and we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

After returning home, still wearing grungies, I went back to work on Ringo and replaced the balky ignition switch (seemed to be the theme for the day).

The last task for him was to replace the front seat belts. The ones he'd been sporting since Ariel and I put him on the road came out of my LeMans and allowing them to disappear with his sale would no do. The shelf contained a number of replacements, but I chose a set of new (although probably circa 1975), brown ones from Pep Boy's. I'd bought these at part's auction a few years back.

Now Ringo sits at the curb awaiting a round-the-neighborhood test drive and transmission fill before a few days of daily-driving. Once I'm sure the bugs are worked out, the Craigslist ad goes up.

The Fleet Will Lose a Member

Last evening Ariel and I had a short conversation regarding Ringo. While she isn’t emotionally ready to be rid of him, she shared that: 1) she had no desire to work on him, and 2) she couldn’t come up with a scenario where she would choose to drive him over her modern car. We agreed we both have many great Ringo memories, but we don’t need the car sitting in our driveway to keep those memories.

So, it is time for me to put a few hours into prepping him for sale. The to-do list needs to be kept short since my curtailed car-time is currently spread across the fleet plus my truck. Here’s the list as it stands today.

• Replace the black GM deluxe seatbelts with GUPs from my stash since they belong to my LeMans
• Get the driver’s door to open and reliably latch again
• Put the battery back and make sure the engine starts and runs reliably

My hope is the door fix will be easily accomplished. The other two tasks will take no time at all. Then he’ll go up for sale via the usual places: Craigslist, CORSA website, VirtualVairs, CorvairCenter forum, and Facebook.