Hello all, I'm new here

[jonfread]

After several years of nearly owning a BMW, I finally picked up an R65.  I've been wrenching on old cars and bikes since I was a boy, but these machines are all new to me.  I've been googling to look up some information and keep landing on this forum, so I decided I should join.  Ha!  At any rate, my 65 is pretty rough around the edges from several years of neglect. She runs pretty smooth, strangely at times, but she runs. Hope you're all willing to help out another newbie, because I'm going to need it.

Cheers

[montmil]

Welcome aboard, Jonathan. You'll find lots of helpful folks around here that can help you tweak your '79. Ask questions. We're all friendly fire. And post a couple pics of your R65 along with a few of the Puch.

Monte

[Lucky_Lou]

Welcome.....Questions  ask away... post some piccys
Lou

[jonfread]

Hey, thanks for the warm welcome.  I posted in the technical forum and have already been getting some advice that I NEED to take.  As for pictures, I'll be taking a few of the bike all around in the next day or so let people tell me all the other problems I have! Haha!

For the time being, I'm tossing a couple up here of my Puch (yes, it's a moped, but I have turned it more into a small motorcycle due to it's 80cc reed valve cylinder kit, electronic ignition, tuned expansion exhaust, 21mm carb, etc.) It'll do about 55. Silly, I know, but it is cheap and lots of fun. Oh, and I tend to like showing off my Corvair that my dad and I rebuilt 15 years ago. I hope no one is offended by car pictures!

Cheers-

[Lucky_Lou]

Pardon my ignorance is the Corvair(nice looking motor) rear engine?? and wheres the snow...??
Lou

[Semper Gumby]

Nice Corvair!  Is it push button shift?  When I was a weee lad me dad had a black convertable with the red interior.  It was the 140 hp turbo with no waste gate.  The story goes that we were moving from one place to the next with a u-haul trailer on the back going up hill behind a blue hair that was going way under the speed limit.  So dad pulls out to pass, pulls abeam of the 25mph spinster, and the turbo packs up and goes away.  Like I said - no waste gate.  He had to pull in behind the blind old biddy.  Shortly after that the Corvair went away.

Love the expansion chamber on the Puch.  Can't wait to see what you do with the R65.

Lucky you!

[azcycle]

Welcome!

[nhmaf]

Ah, the Corvair!  My aunt had one with push button transmission - despite all its design issues, it was an interesting car.

[jonfread]

Haha!  Actually, I think the Corvair (later models especially) was a piece of design brilliance.  They were used as GT-1 race cars back in the day, you know, Trans AM.  They did quite well too. The turbocharged version was actually 150 horsepower in the early models (known as a Spyder and only produced in 1962-1964) and 180 in the late models (not called a Spyder, but a Monza or Corsa). The 80, 95, 102 and 110 horsepower versions had dual carbs. I have the 140hp, which is naturally aspirated by four (yes 4) single barrel Rochester H/HV carburetors.  The turbo had a single side draft Carter YH. Also no Corvair was ever made with a push button automatic, that was Chrysler. Both early and late models used a small lever located on the right side of the dashboard.  I know this because I had to get a manual transmission dashboard (one without a hole for the lever to pass through) after I replaced the Powerglide with a four speed. The push button thing and "it had two carburetors and a turbo" are the most common things people tell me about Corvairs. I say this all with a chuckle by the way, it's my only car.  

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Interesting about the push-button trannys.  We have a member here in Darwin, NT, Aus. whose only car is a 1962 Chrysler Valiant, most likely with push-buttons.
I am familiar with them because my first car was my grandmother's hand-me-down '61 Dodge Lancer! (same car)

To answer your question Lou, yes, the Corvair is rear-engined - an air-cooled flat four.

[jonfread]

Actually, it's a six-cylinder, opposed, rear engine, air cooled.  

[Olliepup]

Hey Jonathan, It's great to find another 'Vair nut out there! I learned to drive on my mother's 1962 Monza convertible in 1963 (with the "tongue depressor" shift). We moved on to a 1963 Monza convertible, four speed 102 hp, bright red, white interior and top. I bought a 'Vair in 1992, a 1964 Lagoon Aqua convert, 95 hp PG. Sold it last summer and bought a 1986 R65. Also have a 1964 Lambretta scooter I bought new, and a 1947 Salsbury scooter. My first motorized vehicle was a 1959 Sears Moped made by Puch in Austria. We have some similar history!
It's interesting that most young people have no idea what a Corvair is. Since it doesn't say "Chevrolet" anywhere on the car, they assume it's something else. Older folks (like me) usually had a aunt that drove one.
Wavy Dave

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Actually, it's a six-cylinder, opposed, rear engine, air cooled.  

Sorry about that, Jon - obviously I've never owned one!

[jonfread]

Oh, no worries!  I just can't help myself sometimes and share Corvair factoids.  There is so much people don't understand about the car, so we ('vair owners) tend to instinctively correct misconceptions.

Those sound like some nice cars Dave.  My brother has a '64 coupe, my uncle has a '65 convert and a '61 Rampside.  My first was a '66 convert and I just (reluctantly) sold my '63 Rampside last spring before I moved from Arizona to Montana, now I'm in Florida.  It went to a good home though.  Lambrettas are nice, I had a couple vintage Vespas in my day, an "80 smallframe (50 special with a crazy kitted engine) and a '76 150 super (built more like a sprint though).

[jonfread]

So, some previous owner of my bike sculpted a 2x4 to be a sort of riser block for the kick stand.  You can just barely notice it in the picture.  He/she did a pretty good job in my opinion.  I also find it very useful.  I removed it, attached a wax sprew and proceeded to coat it in ceramic shell.  It is fully coated, tomorrow is burnout day and on Thursday, I will be doing a bronze pour here at my studio.  I thought I'd share this.  It's sort of like bronzing your child's baby shoes, but I'm actually going to reinstall the "shoe" on my baby by this weekend.  Haha! I thought some of you all would get a "kick" out of this.  Pun intended.

Luckily, I'm a sculptor with access to a fully equipped foundry. I'll post a pic afterwards.  

cheers