the corvair ranch, gettysburg, pa (717) 624-2805
Though there are many
businesses that sell Corvair parts, the Corvair Ranch is far and
away my favorite. In addition to being one of the worlds'
foremost Corvair authorities, Jeff Stonesifer, the man in charge
at the Ranch, is also a consummate gentleman. I've always had
good luck with any parts I've bought from the Ranch, and Jeff's
tech advice is always right on the money -- just a couple of
reasons why the Corvair Ranch deserves a little free internet
advertising. This virtual tour consists almost entirely of the
dismembered parts-cars that have unselfishly sacrificed their
organs so that other Corvairs may live (a few customer cars
awaiting repair or restoration have also been included). There
are well over 200 parts-cars in total, ranging from spartan
"500" coupes devoid of most creature-comforts, to
once-screaming Spyders and Corsas, along with many, many Corvans,
Greenbriers, and Rampsides -- oh yeah, and three Ultra-Vans too.
Click on
any Thumbnail for a Full-Sized Picture! Around
Thanksgiving 1996, while en route to a friend's house in Lebanon,
PA, I stopped off at the Corvair Ranch to pick up a couple of
Corvair odds and ends. While I was waiting for Jeff to finish
with another customer, I sarted talking with the Ranch-hand who
was doing transmission work on the tomato red '61 Monza four-door
sedan pictured above. As it turned out, it was his personal
transportation. When I returned to the ranch in early spring
1997, I again saw the '61 -- but this time it was out back with
the parts cars. It had been plowed into on the driver's side and
it simply wasn't cost-effective to repair the damage. To varying
degrees, all of the parts-cars at the Ranch have sad endings.
About 500 feet down the road from
the Corvair Ranch, there's a sort of Corvair Ranch for '60s and
'70s Chevelles and Impalas. I've never been a real big fan of
either, but disemboweled old cars are disemboweled old cars,
right? Standing apart from the rest of the pack, both literally
and figuratively, is this turquoise 1958 Impala convertible --
still wearing its Bicentennial Liberty Bell PA plates!
Originally, it was a 283 with a three-on-the-tree. Though the
tried and true 283 was still between the fenders, somewhere along
the way the column shifter had been scrapped in favor of a
floor-mounted unit (also three-speed). Despite the fact there is
some rust-through on the tops of the fenders, this is a seriously
restorable car. The turquoise and white interior was complete and
the floors were pretty much intact -- even the top is in fairly
good condition. From what I understand, the car was parked in a
shed from the mid-1970's until 1996. It's for sale, too (no price
given). 