Check out a few web links below!

Current Weather in Charleston, South Carolina

Click HERE to view the Lowcountry Corvair Association on-line Photo Album

(Members - send me cool pics of your ride!)

LOWCOUNTRY CORVAIR ASSOCIATION NEWS:

Take a look at what's happening in and around Charleston!

(For a look at the events listed on CORSA'S calendar, click HERE.)

YOUTUBE AND OTHER VIDEO LINKS:

Click HERE to see a Chevrolet promotional video on the original Corvair!

Click HERE to see a Chevrolet promotional video of the Corvair ascending Pike's Peak

Click HERE to see YouTube video of the 2008 Springfest in Helen, GA

Click HERE to see some awesome Corvair Autocross Racing!

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The Lowcountry Corvair Association is a local chapter (#294) of the

Corvair Society of America (CORSA)

DO YOU OWN A CORVAIR, BUT STILL HAVEN'T JOINED CORSA?

TSK, TSK!  JOIN NOW BEFORE THE DUES INCRAESE!

CALL (630) 257-6530 OR http://www.corvair.org

That's a bunch of 'Vairs!

The LCA Gang at the recent Wal-Mart car show on Saturday, August 23rd.

As always, the LCA brought some fine Corvair examples to the Wal-Mart show.

One in every color!

There were some great looking Corvairs representing the LCA

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Unsung at Any Speed – The Corvair 95, by Albert Mroz

Condensed from an article in This Old Truck September/October 1999

Contributed by David Bristol
See full article on our webpage www.corvair/chapters/southcoast/

The recession of 1957/58 prompted motor vehicle manufacturers to introduce compact, efficient, affordable vehicles in 1959 for model year 1960. The public turned out with wallets in hand as 685,000 Corvairs were sold that first model year. Almost immediately, Chevy introduced a pickup and van platform based on the Corvair for 1961. The Corvair 95, as it was called, was named for its wheelbase. It used the air-cooled, "pancake" six-cylinder engine from the Corvair passenger car with minor modifications.

For 1961 10,787 Corvair Rampside (Model R1254) pickups left the factory. That would be the largest production for Corvair in the four years the pickup version was produced. For all practical purposes, the Corvair Rampside was quite attractive as a light truck when compared to the only other forward control light commercial vehicles at that time, which was the Ford Econoline series. The Corvair's payload was rated at 1900 pounds, which was 250 pounds more than the Ford. The cargo box was twenty inches longer due to the efficient forward control design. The interior was much roomier because the motor and transmission were between the rear wheels, not inside the cab like the Ford. The Corvair 95's height was 68.5 inches - a full ten inches lower than the Econoline. Styling was elegant when compared to the Econoline. The body construction was semi-unitized, meaning that is was both bolted and welded. The body was rigid enough for the large openings of the Rampside, or the doors of the van, which could be ordered on one, either, or both sides.

All Corvair 95 models (Rampside, Loadside, Corvan, and Greenbriar) came with two-tone paint with a white accent stripe as the standard paint scheme. The white body had a red accent stripe. Fleet purchasers could specify any color whatsoever. Pacific Bell boug t large numbers of Corvans. The vehicles were efficient, affordable, and durable if adequate maintenance was provided.  Unfortunately, the Corvair 95 faced stiff competition from Ford. The Rampside model was priced at $2133 in 1963; about $200 more than the Ford Econoline pickup. The Corvair engine, which had the same displacement as the in-line six of the Fords, had 80 hp, five less than the Econoline. Another problem was the shift linkage, which ran nearly the full length of its wheelbase and had to negotiate its way under the fuel tank. A later design involved using tubes that went directly through the fuel tank. The Rampside idea was well received, but the Loadside pickups (Model R1205) were not popular at all because the lower payload area behind the cab was not very accessible. Originally, they were to have a level floor with a lockable storage compartment in front of the engine (behind the cab) but the Loadside was never produced with this arrangement except for car shows. After 2475 Loadside Corvairs rolled off the assembly line in 1961, only 369 saw the light of day for 1962, making this the rarest of all Corvair light commercial vehicles. Production of the Rampside plummeted to 4102 in 1962, 3046 for 1963 and a meager 851 for the final year of manufacture in 1964. Only the Greenbriar van survived in 1965. Total 95 production was 127,221 - only seven percent of all Corvairs. The Corvair Rampside was a very promising design, but the typical prospective American ready to buy a truck at that time was not willing to go out on a limb when the tried and true was available at about the same price in the same showroom or just across the street. (Production numbers based on The Corvair Decade by Anthony Fiore).

Reprinted from the May 2008 The Spyder’s Breath Gazette, the newsletter of the Tidewater Corvair Club.

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A Few Pics from January's Dinner Meeting

Ryan's Steakhouse - January 8, 2009 - N. Charleston, South Carolina

Our Gang at Ryan's

There were some great looking Corvairs!

    February 21 - LCA tour to Edisto Island

    March 12 - LCA dinner meeting - Ryan's Steakhouse, N. Charleston

    March 13-14 - CCC Spring Warm-up in Myrtle Beach

    April 4-5 - Auto Swap Meet at  Lowes Speedway, Charlotte, NC

    April 9 - LCA dinner meeting - Ryan's Steakhouse, N. Charleston

    April 24-25 - Corvair Atlanta 'Vair Show at Helen, GA

                         Helendorph 2 nights $138.00  706-878-2271

                         Best Western $65.00 per night 800-435-3642 (hotel direct) newly renovated

                         Mention Corvair

                         More information: lawjandl@aol.com

    May 2 - Car Show at Trident Tech, N.Charleston

    July 13-17 - CORSA National Show at Jacksonville, FL

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The dessert table at the recent LCA Christmas Party - if you can't gain 5 pounds here, you're just not trying!

Thanks to Don & Karen Marlowe for putting on a great event!

Delores & Arlene enjoy the scrumptious treats at the LCA Christmas Party.

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The LCA recently visited the NASCAR museum in Charlotte, NC

LCA won the award for the largest single marquis turnout at the recent Palmetto State

Ford Club open car show at Tangier Outlet

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HOW THE

LOWCOUNTRY CORVAIR ASSOCIATION

CAN SAVE THE CORVAIR HOBBY

OK, that's a bit of grandstanding, I admit, but it got your attention!   It's not news to anyone in the Corvair world that our beloved National Club, CORSA, is losing membership each and every year.  Why?  Long-standing members getting up in age, local clubs not reaching out to the younger car enthusiasts, people getting involved with (gasp!) another marquis, the list goes on.  Membership dues for CORSA are increasing to cover the loss of members - there's really no choice if we want to keep the club as we know it intact.  So, why the grand title to this diatribe?  Well, because I have a suggestion...

I, your lowly webmaster, am an average Corvair nut.  I've owned eight of our favorite car in the last seven years.  I drive my cars, too.  No garage queen for me, I want people to see the Corvairs I drive, and possibly get interested themselves.  But I'm no super-mechanic.  I can do most basic engine work (carburetor rebuilds/tune-up/gasket replacement/bearing replacement/electrical,  etc.), but full engine rebuilds I tend to leave to the pros within our club.  I farm out most bodywork and paint, but I can handle interior installation.  Where am I going with this? 

Of the Corvairs I have owned, two of them I've sold to local folks who have joined, and are active in, the LCA.  Two others I've sold to people who are active members of other Corvair clubs.  These folks had not previously owned a Corvair, but they saw the fun our club has, and the affordability of these great cars!  Our club has some of the finest examples of our marquis around, and that's truly great, but I only know of a few "project" cars currently within our group.  My suggestion is this: find a project car, take some time and restore it to "daily driver" status, and sell it to a local non-member.  Get them involved in the fun we have as a club.  This isn't as nuts as it might seem.  Let's break down a typical Corvair project based on some numbers I've accumulated over the past few years...

SAMPLE CORVAIR PROJECT

Car Purchase:           $500 - 1,000  (body with some rust, no interior, rough engine may or may not run)

Bodywork / Paint:    $1,500 - 2,500 (Local bodyshops - there's a bunch around)

Interior:                     $1,000 - 1,200 (Clarks Kit - takes time but is do-able by the average Joe)

Engine:                      $500 - 1,000 (New carbs / reseal engine / alt / misc. work)

Misc.:                        $400 - 600  (tires / brakes / etc.)

TOTAL:                    $3,900 - 6,300

My last 3 project cars were actually a good bit less than the low estimate shown here.  I've just listed some worst-case numbers for realistic estimating.  Some or all of the work you can do yourself, but it is amazing how good of condition older mechanicals often are, even in a "rough" example.  Where can you find one of these projects?  Newspapers / e-Bay / Craig's List / other club members.  Jerry Brown in Manning, SC  has numerous possible projects available for someone to rescue them.  Take a look at a couple below, just waiting for a new home:

Numerous early models

A solid body 1964 with good glass and seats

Cave-car! A 1960 (first year for the Corvair) looking for a new home

All of the above are in restorable condition (I've taken on worse - I won't say which one...).  It takes a bit of vision, time and money, but with the technical know-how within our group and the very active membership we've got, we could have a few of these "back-lot beauties" back on the road where they belong later this year.  It's a great way to "go green" - recycling at it's absolute best!  With the old cars and used parts floating around our club, we are primed for some great projects in 2009.  Think about it - it doesn't take great mechanical skill or tens of thousands of dollars.  It just takes a few people who care.

"SEE THE USA, IN YOUR CHEVROLET..."