Members stories ~ Priscilla gets a makeover

By Pete Tachis~

I’ve now owned my Corvair, aka Priscilla, for about a year and a half.  I feel like I’ve accomplished much in that time, but she still needs quite a bit more work.  From minor stuff like, repairing the heat/defrost system, and the shift linkage to major tasks like rebuilding the engine, repairing dents and dings and a complete repaint.  A couple of weeks ago I began working on the latter.  Hence the title.  My brother Don, who has experience in such things is helping me with this job.

We’ve block sanded the roof, hood and trunk and haven’t found anything serious there.  The left front fender is another story.  When I  purchased the car I could see that a big chunk of body filler had cracked and chipped off on the driver’s side fender top.  I used a heat gun to remove much of the filler.  Then after grinding what remained I found a seam where the front half of the fender had been been replaced.  The repair is not terrible and Don is pretty sure he can make it right.

Meanwhile the blocking  continues.  I’m beginning to understand why a paint job is so expensive.  At some point she’ll be filled, sanded, primed and ready for paint. Then all I’ll have to do is find a painter is willing to paint the car for a reasonable price.  Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Have any recommendations or words of wisdom for Pete?

Have a Corvair story you want to share with the readership?

Let us know in the comments!