By Tara Feeney
Nearly a year ago, Molly Minster purchased her 1966 Chevrolet Corvair. She brought the car to McPherson in January of 2024 from her home state of Louisiana, though the car was originally purchased in Mobile, Alabama. She purchased the car for $4,500, which was $1,500 less than the seller was originally asking for.
The car is a pastel yellow color, which she intends on keeping, with a white interior she hopes to redo in the future. When Minster purchased the car, it was running well enough. It could be driven around the block, but not much further. It had both a transmission leak and an oil leak.
Minster plans to complete a full restoration of the car. Early in the semester, she began this process by pulling the engine from the car and tearing it down. Her goal for next semester is to rebuild the engine, and return it to stock specifications. After that, she will focus on identifying why the transmission is leaking and possibly tear down and rebuild that as well.
Overall, the car is in need of a complete braking system overall, as well as new suspension. The car is fortunately mostly rust free with the one exception being the rear wheel wells. When Minster was asked about her favorite part of the car, she said the following, “The heart of dixie license plate from Alabama that the car came with is my favorite, mainly because it has a heart on it.” Minster plans on keeping the car for as long as possible to drive and enjoy.
