If you’re in the group of people who like air-cooled rear-engined cars with some patina this 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza might just be the car for you! You can find it here on craigslist in Monterey, California, but remember, you’ll have to take the good with the bad on this one. The good is the surface-rust-only condition of the body, the low mileage, and the $1,990 asking price. The bad is the more or less complete lack of an interior and an engine that hasn’t been started since 1975.
The dealer owner says the black plate California car was pulled out of a barn in King City, which it shared with a few other classic cars. There are just 65,000 miles on the odometer. Putting his best foot forward, the dealer says, “It looks rusty but the car is actually very solid. The patina on it I think looks amazing. The floors are very solid. Engine is in there and complete. But hasn’t been fired up since the 70s, so who knows what the deal is with it. It’s probably the original engine for this car.”
The missing seats are certainly an issue, but that reality does provide a great look at the solid floors. There’s no rust-through visible on the car, but a few mildly bent panels (the trunk/engine cover is questionable) and surface rust everywhere. The dash looks good. At the very least after such a long layover this car is going to need an interior, complete brake and fuel system job, engine work (unclear how extensive, given the low mileage) and paint. Here’s a plus: new tires!
What is clear is that it’s a handsome, desirable car, maybe worth a bit of investment considering the low purchase price—which can maybe be bargained down.
Did you know the name “Corvair” was a merging of “Corvette” and “Bel Air”? Yep. The Rambler American and Studebaker Lark were doing well in the marketplace, so GM needed a compact car. The rear-engined Corvair was certainly radical for its time, and offered up to 180 horsepower in the turbocharged variants. It was the Motor Trend “Car of the Year” in 1960, and sold 200,000 a year for the first six years. Total production through 1969 was 1.8 million.
The Monza club coupe version with deluxe trim originated with a show car at the 1960 Chicago Auto Show, and it was in showrooms later that year. Of course, this Monza doesn’t have the deluxe trim—it doesn’t have any trim! Later, in 1961, there were four-door sedan Monzas—it was a trim package. By 1962 the Monza coupe was popular—151,738 were sold that year. The ’63 was little changed, by a longer gear ratio was available to improve fuel economy. That year, 80 percent of the Corvairs sold were Monzas. The second-generation model arrived in 1965.
If you could source a rusted-out parts car, you’d get everything needed to restore this sun-dazed Corvair to the road.
Looks like a fair price for this coupe. The interior should not be hard to find and all the reupholstery is available through Clark’s. Figure on spending about 10 grand to do the work yourself with a full engine rebuild, interior, and repaint. You will really enjoy driving this car as they are one of the best handling for the period.
I bought a ’62 from the estate of a neighbor lady.
She bought it new. It was an automatic,in that light blue
color. I got it for $500,& thought that I’d make a killing on
it.This was in the early ’70’s.
After put an ad in the local paper,I ended up selling it-
for $500!
The seat cores aren’t hard to find, the interior parts as mentioned are easily available, but the fact it appears to be a factory AC car makes it interesting, despite the lack of components in the engine compartment. It certainly has potential.
Not that it will likely make any difference, but 175/80R13 is the proper size radial conversion from the original 6.50X13 bias plys.
Not the 175/70R13 Primewell Tires they have on there.
At least they are not trailer tires…
Milestar makes the proper size tire still in whitewalls too.
Proper tire pressure was apparently crucial in the early models, but `64 had made improvements to suspension and brakes.
It is a `64, 1 of 88,440 Monza coupes based on the data plate.
Clark’s Corvair will become your best friend. Note that Corvairs have seals that surround the engine compartment. When these deteriorate, or if they have gone missing, the engine can overheat.
Yes, and these seals are the most difficult to replace properly. They were originally stapled to the metal tin. Clarks sells new staples but you have to manually insert after drilling holes and bend them over. Some us pop rivets but I prefer to keep it factory looking.
The trim makes it a ’64.
Good eye, undercarriage picture shows the camber compensator only found on the 64 model. That with A/C makes this the best of the series IMHO.
Thank you!
Just zip tie a milk crate to the floor and make it unsafer at any speed.
Pinto wheel covers? Deal’s off,,nice find, it will take a dump truck full of money to make this right again. Apparently someone didn’t know where the hood release was,,
‘There are just 65,000 miles on the odometer.’
‘…engine work (unclear how extensive, given the low mileage)’.
I can’t stop laughing.
You cannot be that naive.
Even at a low average of 10,000 miles per year by 1975 this car would have had 120,000 miles on it. Enough to turn the odo over at least once.
165,000 from the looks of it.
Buy it put it on a tube frame and put a Ford 4.6 V8 under the front hood and a ford 9inch rear end and a nice interior and you can have a fun cruising machine that makes people go you did what to a corvair
Troy…
I have always wanted to do a mid engine
conversion with one of these. However;
time is passing way too quickly!
Your idea does sound like fun.
If you were to do a mid engine, the 65-69 models are your best bet. I have one!
Interesting, the engine and air cleaners are from ’63, but the front emblem, “hood” and rear suspension are from a ’64.
I think this is a 64.
It is the same for VWs.