Project Car/Two Tone Paint/Flat 6-Cylinder

1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Convertible

Corvair was the brainchild of Chevrolet General Manager Ed Cole, said Corvair Preservation Foundation historian Dave Newell and technical adviser Larry Claypool. Cole began the project in 1956, ordering parts and blueprints under the guise that it was for GM's Australian division, Holden. This is similar to the surreptitious development of the GTO package for the Pontiac LeMans. Cole considered front- and rear-engine placement and 4 and 6-cylinder air and water-cooled engines. He settled on a 140-cubic-inch, rear-mounted, flat 6, air-cooled engine, powering a 15-foot, five-passenger car.

For consignment, a Corvair Monza Convertible from 1965. This was the first year for the Fisher Z body and it addressed the Nader false accusation of the suspension being unsafe with a rear suspension that now resembled the Corvette.

Exterior
This two toned light and dark blue Corvair presents in fair condition for the exterior. There are areas of dulling, and some sap damage to the paint. The rockers show invasive rust under the stainless trim running along the bottom of this car. There is heavy involvement behind each wheel well. Other trim presents nicely, and there is plenty of it, even highlighting the gas filler door. On the back the trunk lid appears to have had a luggage rack installed at one time as the mounting holes are still within the trunk and a spot of cracked body filler on the center raised bodyline. Invasive rust is taking over the door jambs and bottom of the doors. Also, there are some large surface rusted scratches under the rear bumper, and in front of the roll pan is slight bubbling of the paint. The white canvas convertible top is solid but does not appear to have a rear window within it. Wire wheels are wrapped by thin white wall tires all around.

Interior
All original interior which shows some age in the form of smudges and areas of dulling on the original vinyl. Bucket seats upfront are original and have had lap belts added at the dealership. The rear bench is all there too in the same color and shows some loose and torn vinyl on the seats. The driver's seat has a tear on the upper back near the seam for the side panel. The original dash in dark and light blue painted metal houses original gauges, knobs and levers. The original AM radio is within the dash, and just below the ash receptacle has a missing door. Nice dark blue carpet covers the floors.

Drivetrain
A lift of the trunk and we see an albeit dusty and patina riddled 164 ci flat 6-cylinder engine. It has a 1-barrel carburetor on top, and a 4-speed manual transmission attached to this horizontally opposed air cooled configuration. A 3.27 gear ratio is on the Corvair.

Undercarriage
Plenty of years of patina and surface rust make up this undercarriage. Some areas are heavily involved. The center of the floor has some invasive rust that has taken the first layer of metal off at certain points. The bottom end of the engine has heavy oiling, and as the rockers are involved in the outer shell, we see invasive rust on the seam of the unibody on the underside.

Drive-Ability
This car started right up, and after a short warmup, ran great. Nice handling, a good ride, and shifting was effortless. I am concerned about the rust involvement, so it is difficult to say if it is truly structurally sound.

We could classify this as a project car, with many areas that will need some TLC. For the ambitious restorer, here is something for you to do.

VIN DECODE
105675W302446
1-Chevrolet
05-Corvair Monza
67-Convertible
5-1965
W-Willow Run, MI Assy Plant
302446-Sequential Unit Number