Installing shoulder belts

Here we see the completed Corv-8 interior with the firewall and engine cover in place. This '66 was not equipped with shoulder belts and did not have the boss required to attach them, as later '66 models did. Rick installed the belts with guidance from a tech article in the Corvair Society's monthly magazine, CORSA Communique. He welded a seat belt nut to a large diameter heavy washer, and after cutting a hole in the roof pillar, he welded it in place and fitted a pair of old style belts without retainers. To properly finish the job, he installed a new headliner.

Door panel modifications

The door panels, arm rests and the door release handles are reproductions from Clark's Corvair Parts. The panel was a good fit and was retained with factory style screws along the bottom edge. Obvious to '66 fans is the absence of the bright metal upholstery buttons that decorated the door panel in a horizontal plane in line with the bottom of the Monza emblem. In the interest of a cleaner appearance, Rick decided not to transfer them from the original door panels.

The installation of the sound system's Polk Audio tweeter and 6" midrange drivers required cutting into the door frame sheet metal. Rick indicated there wasn't much room in the door for a speaker with a large magnet, and noted that he had to shim the 6" unit out to clear the window lift mechanism. 

When the picture at right was taken, the oil temperature gauge to the left of the steering wheel was mounted in a temporary housing. Otherwise the dash area is complete. Eventually a modern stereo head unit will replace the stock Corvair radio as soon as a suitable unit is found that will fit properly behind the original Corvair radio faceplate.

A fire extinguisher sits at the ready and is mounted to the modified tunnel cover that now encloses the coolant pipes.