Natalie and Ray Davis of Stafford go for a spin in 'El Vair,' a 1962 Lakewood Corvair that has been converted from a station wagon into an open-bed truck. SUZANNE CARR ROSSI/THE FREE LANCE-STAR Visit the Photo Place

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And they'll have fun, fun, fun don't take their Corvairs away

Owners of classic Corvair cars say the hobby gets in their blood

Date published: 10/25/2005

By ROB HEDELT

IT WAS a lucky thing for the stranded North Carolina man that Frank DuVal was home in Hartwood the day he called looking for automotive salvation.

The Tarheel owner of a vintage Corvair car had been tooling along in it on Interstate 95 in Caroline County when the brakes on the car Ralph Nader never loved locked up.

Without a second thought, he did what any member of the Corvair Society of America does when such things happen.

He pulled out The Book, which holds the names of other Corvair Society members around the country.

Then he quickly thumbed through it to find a member in the general vicinity of Caroline.

You see, when one of the small, sporty cars built in the '60s breaks down, it doesn't do to call the local garage or any of the auto dealers in the book.

Because their parts and systems are unique and dated, their only hope usually comes in calling another Corvair Society member.

Members interested enough in joining the national group likely have at least one of the low-slung, contoured roadsters out back for parts. They've probably also long since mastered basic repairs on the air-cooled, rear-engine cars, vans and wagons.

When the man stranded in his Carolina Corvair picked DuVal's name to call on that fateful afternoon, he didn't know what a good choice he'd made.

Without blinking an eye, DuVal grabbed some tools and extra parts and drove to the Caroline County rest stop.

"It just happened that I was home the day he called," said DuVal. "I was glad to help him get back on the road again."

DuVal, trained as an engineer and now doing some work on the base in Dahlgren, joined a handful of other Corvair enthusiasts in Fredericksburg this past weekend.

The occasion was the annual Goat's Milk Tour hosted by the Central Virginia Corvair Club.

Local organizer Ray Davis, a Stafford resident who has a few restored Corvairs of his own, noted that DuVal is called on by many of the other members to provide fixes on everything from locked brakes to faulty windshield wipers.

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Date published: 10/25/2005