Some Local sources for common Corvair mechanical parts...

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While we all need to patronize our national Corvair parts suppliers, sometimes one needs to pick parts up quickly. Maybe it's something small, or maybe you have everything else you need, and you just need one little item to finish a tune-up, oil change, etc. Provided here is a list of some local sources and the parts you can find there.

Brake Master Cylinders:

Try: NAPA ( http://www.napaonline.com/ )

NAPA website shows several different available, for '62 - '68 w/single-resevoir master cylinder. It may take a day for your local NAPA retail outlet to get one from a regional warehouse - prices from about $15.00 to $75.00, depending on whether you want new or rebuilt, plus rebuildable core exchange.

ALSO: The NAPA web site lists rebuilt starters, brake shoes, fuel pumps, carburetor parts, generator parts, and distributors - good to know if your nationwide Corvair vendor of choice has "NF" next to the part # you need.

Batteries:

Try: Auto Zone, O'Reilly's, Advance Auto Parts, Wal*Mart

Look for group 51-R for your '61 - '69 vair, and group 51 for your '60 Corvair. + and - posts in the right places, same depth, not quite as long, plenty of cranking power, about $40.00, and normally available at any of the above mentioned stores. The best ones have top AND side terminals (great for the occasional jump start).

Spark Plugs:

Try: Auto Zone, O'Reilly's, Advance Auto Parts

Look for Bosch Super, stock # 7502 (W8AC). A fine spark plug, priced right (under $1.00 each!) Try to resist the temptation to buy Platnum plugs. Sure, they'll last 75,000 miles, but you'll never get them out again! These seem to give good service, and you have to pull them out every year to re-gap them, so they shouldn't weld themselves into place.

Oil filters:

Try: NAPA

Made by WIX - premium quality. About $12.00 each - less if you buy in bulk. I buy by the dozen (about $10.00 each), try to always have some on hand, and will sell to you (locally) at cost

Ignition parts: (We're in luck - GM used the same distributor on '68 - '69 in-line water-pumper Chevy 6-cylinder engines. Well, at least the tune-up parts are the same...)

Try: Advance Auto Parts, NAPA Auto Parts

Hot News Flash! NAPA/Echlin, Borg-Warner, and "Blue Streak" now ALL made by Standard Motor Products - buy the "premium line", and buy with confidence

NAPA sells high-quality ignition parts made by Echlin, a subsidiary.

Advance Auto Parts handles parts by GP Sorenson, but you can get Standard Blue Streak if you ask. You may have to wait a day to get the Blue Streak parts.

Look for a store that carries parts made by Standard Motor Products. Standard's web site includes an on-line catalog which allows you to look up any part they make (you can even view photos of the exact part if you're not quite sure...). We make it easier - most of Standard's Corvair parts and their accompanying part numbers are listed below. Parts followed by an 'X' are heavy-duty, drop the 'X' for OEM (standard)

For those of you who may not be familiar with Standard Motor Products, they are a long-time manufacturer of the highest-quality automotive parts. I have used their parts for many years, with excellent results. They have two lines, red Standard and blue (heavy-duty) Blue Streak parts. These are not those cheap Wells Ampco parts you used to buy at Farm & Barn.

Here's some more Standard parts:

Voltage regulators (for cars and FC's with generators):

1960 - 1963

1964

Voltage regulators for cars with Alternators:

1965 - 1969

How about some starter parts:

Battery Cables:

1960 - 1963

1964

1965 - 1966

1967 - 1969

These part #'s are taken from the Standard Motor Products web site: http://smpcorp.com/home.asp,and have not been verified.

Please note that no particular endorsement is being made of any of the retail locations mentioned above. They are listed as a service to the local Corvair community, the result of some recent research done to find local sources for commonly needed parts. This is no guarantee that all of these parts are available at your local store - they may need to be ordered, though this may still be quicker (and sometimes cheaper - if you don't have to pay shipping...) than sending an order to a national parts vendor.