'65 Corvair Corsa Convertible Interior

Final Coat

The interior Dash and metal parts on the doors on the '65 Corvair Corsa Convertible were sanded down to bare metal and epoxy primed and then a finish coat of Tan was applied. We like it so well we shot a couple of coats of clear on top of that and it is looking good!

Going to do a little buffing on this to finish it out for show quality. We debated on the Clear Coat for the Interior - concerned if it would make the dash a bit shiny but after it was done everyone liked it (will have to see how the suns glare treats us once it is on the road).

Need to be making some decisions on the interior upholstery - Factory Stock or a Custom job by the local Upholstery Shop. What should this '65 Corvair Corsa Convertible have? Leaning very heavily towards the Custom side. I have been talking to the Upholstery Man and he has some good thoughts for a custom design. Have seen some of his work on a few Hot Rods and Customs and he is very good.

Can't forget about the wheels - Stock with wire caps or?

'65 Corvair Corsa Interior Restoration

Down to Bare Metal

Time to attack the interior on this '65 Corvair Corsa Convertible! (Clear coated the body and will let that dry well before buffing)

Going to put a fresh coat of Tan on the dash and all of the other interior metal parts.

We pulled the old windshield for better access to the dash and started sanding. Nice to be working on a convertible as we laid the top down for better access to all of the panels. As we started to sand it looked as if someone had painted over the factory finish with who knows what kind of paint. So we thought it best to sand everything down to bare metal and start over to be sure we ended up with a good finish. All of the sheet metal was good and solid with no dents or rust anywhere! This California Black Plate '65 Corvair Corsa Convertible has been easy to work on.

Got all the interior metal parts sanded and gave everything a good coat of epoxy primer and a bit of sanding and now we are on to the finish coat.

Thinking about shooting Clear on the Interior metal of this Corsa Convertible?

'65 Corvair Corsa Convertible - Cypress Green

We finally got the body painted on this '65 Corvair Corsa Convertible and it is looking much better!

Things went very smoothly. as we did not find any rust on the sheet metal and just had a few dings to repair. Looks to be the original sheet metal and doesn't appear as if the car has been in any accidents or at least no major accidents. Guess living in Central California was a good life for this Black Plate California '65 Corvair Corsa Convertible.

Thought about changing colors but then decided no. Went with the original color - Cypress Green - using Dupont's Base/Clear material. Next task is to give it a few coats of Clear and then buff it out. Once this is done we will move on to the interior. Going to paint the dash and metal on the doors a nice Tan color. I have always like the Dark Green/Tan color combos. The Dash on this '65 Corvair Corsa Convertible does not have a pad on it and I understand the pad was an option for '65 and then became a standard on all Corvairs in '66.

Big question is - Should we go with a standard factory stock replacement interior from one of the good parts houses or should we talk to our local upholstery shop about a nice Custom Interior for this '65 Corvair Corsa Convertible? Leaning towards a nice Custom Job.

Need to be thinking about wheels and tires. What looks good on a '65 Corvair /Corsa Convertible?

'65 Corvair Corsa Convertible

Getting started

All primed!

Last fall I found a rare 1965 Corvair Corsa Convertible - it is a 74,000 mile Black Plate California car with no rust, extremely solid and complete. Sports the 140 HP, 4 Carb engine and a 4 speed. I have always been intrigued with the Corvair design and the unique air cooled rear mounted engine . It is very different than all of the other cars of its era. This is my third car and I decided to make it my Hot Rod.

The first collector car I bought is a '70 Chevelle Super Sport that I restored to its original condition with the original big block 454 engine and 4 speed, factory air, PS/PB, Am/FM radio, buckets, console, all gauges, cowl induction, vinyl top and stripe delete. Car was repainted the original Black Cherry color, interior was redone with black bucket seats and black vinyl top. This car is a strong number 2 and it is driven, not a trailer queen.

The second car is a '68 Corvair Monza Convertible, again restored original with its red color with black interior. Great car and a fun driver - my daily driver in good weather.

The third car is a '65 Corvair Corsa Convertible and it is Special! Searched a long time to for a good one, this is a hard model to find and most current owners don't want to part with them. Chevrolet only made the Corvair Corsa for two years, 1965 and 1966.

This one is not going to be restored to its original condition. The design of this car begs to be customized.

Plans include new paint (in process - Cypress Green - original color) New Tan Top and Interior. I have Chromed the Engine and installed a wild exhaust system. Rebuilt the gauges and need to add some other gauges. Looks as if New Chrome Bumpers and trim along with a new windshield are necessary.

We started last November and things are progressing!