How 'bout a little Schwing by GM?

KevinP73 · 10-25-2006, 06:34 PM

For those of you who have voiced interest and support in the past here is a long over due update on one of my favorite toys. The motor in my '66 Corvair is getting very close to breathing its first breath in nearly three years. With any luck I'll be back on the road in time for TRE's New Years Day Rally. Which is when the 110hp motor was when it started blowing smoke from broken rings. The replacement motor is a 180 hp turbo from the General.

P.S. spellcheck still doesn't recognize "Corvair" as a properly spelled word. Keeps wanting to make it a Corsair. Don't I wish it were!

Jim Richards · 10-25-2006, 06:36 PM

sweet!

Oh Haha · 10-25-2006, 06:40 PM

Cool car, Kevin.
My first car was a 66 "Vair. My Dad bought it for himself to fix up but never had the $ or time. I drove it for a year before it started breaking down more than running. It was an automatic so it wasn't real sporty.
I still would like to add one to my garage someday, only with a bit more power.

masraum · 10-25-2006, 06:45 PM

I almost bought a corvair years ago, but at the time I wouldn't have been able to afford the parts. Very cool cars.

More pics of yours!!

KevinP73 · 10-25-2006, 06:47 PM

The cool thing about these cars is that no matter where you go someone has a corvair story to share. It is almost always about their first car or their dads car or one that belonged to a buddy. It's fun.

legion · 10-25-2006, 06:48 PM

Too bad Nader had to kill them...

KevinP73 · 10-25-2006, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by legion
Too bad Nader had to kill them...

not exactly true but it is the general public perception.

KevinP73 · 10-25-2006, 06:51 PM

more pictures tommorrow, headed home and only have SBC (seriously bad crap) dial up there.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

Fixed yer schwing.

rouxroux · 10-25-2006, 07:20 PM

Be sure to reinstall those firewall grommets! Looks good, maybe I'll post a pic of a 110 and a 140/4 for folks to look at!

P.S. Do you need a nice chrome turbo cover?

nota · 10-26-2006, 05:18 AM

in the 70s they were disposeable cars
as used examples were so cheap
it was eazyer to replace one then buy parts to repair
I had 6 of them mostly 65's 110s
my brother who raced 356's had a 64 turbo ragtop
the poormans Porsche

Jims5543 · 10-26-2006, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by KevinP73
not exactly true but it is the general public perception.

I was not aware it was not true. I remember reading Car and Driver and Raod and Track when I was a kid in the 70's and Nader being refered to as the Safety Nazi.

I always thought he was the one that killed the Corvair.

Very cool car, I have pics of one that was at a local Autocross last year.

KevinP73 · 10-26-2006, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jim Cesiro
. I always thought he was the one that killed the Corvair.

I guess it depends on who you talk to or choose to believe. GM claims that they offered the corvair in it's early years to compete in the econo car market. It was never intended to be produced after '64. Ford was prepared to debut the Mustang in mid '65 and GM was set to unveil the Camaro at the same time. GM didn't feel the need to have two models competing in the econo class. But after Nader made such a fuss over the corvair they didn't want to give the impression that he was right (even though internally they knew SOME of his criticism was well founded) in his criticism as they were afraid it would wash over onto the Camaro. GM decided to redesign the Corvair and produce it for a couple more years just to save face. The end result was that Ralph caused GM to produce another 5 years of the car he claimed was so unsafe.

KevinP73 · 10-26-2006, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by rouxroux

P.S. Do you need a nice chrome turbo cover?

You've shared pictures of your cars with me in the past and they are excellent examples. I'm sure everyone would like to see them.
Yes I need a turbo cover as mine was non existant when I got the car originally. PM me if you want to work out $$$$'s.

Nostril Cheese · 10-26-2006, 08:00 AM

Wasn't the main problem a undersized or missing rear sway bar? I remember reading something like that.

Nice looking motor. How much boost does that put out?

KevinP73 · 10-26-2006, 08:12 AM

Early model cars had VW type swing arm axles and under rated springs. In the right situation it made the car real easy to roll. That was really just one of several shortcomings of the early model car.
I'm not sure what kind of boost it produces. The gauge in the dash shows a range of "-30 to+30 inches hg".

Moneyguy1 · 10-26-2006, 08:35 AM

Read "Unsafe at Any Speed" for the full story. The early years with the swing axles were dangerous cars if pushed beyond certain limits. Quotes from enthusiasts after introduction of the '65 were totally different and included in Nader's book. I owned both iterations of the car. The later model had Corvette type rear suspension and was virtually impossible to get to swap ends. The reasons given by GM for dropping the car was in part due to the bad publicity associated with the "bathtub" version, but mainly because of the uniqueness of the design and the non-interchangibility of parts with other GM models...Over 85% of the parts were unique to the Corvair.

I was a long time "ACORN" member (Association of Corvair Nuts) and worked on dozens of them. The engine and transmission were virtually bulletproof. The heater and defroster sucked. The turbo version was, for its day, a rocket above 40 mph....

ALtogether a valiant efffort and GM at least tried thinking outside the box..BTW....look at the similarities between the 911 early engines and the Corvair flat 6 that predated it.

rouxroux · 10-26-2006, 09:45 AM

I've attched a few pics for y'all to view (sorry if they are a little bit dark): One shows the basic configuration of 2x1bbl Rochester carbs used in the base models up through the Monza. The other shows the 4x1bbl configuration introduced in the Corsa in 1965 and offered as an option on later models. This was a mechanically-linked primary-secondary system. I did experiment with other intakes using the Holley/Weber 2300 series 2bbls and small 4bbls, but never could get the carb heat issues sorted in cold weather (still have some IECO intakes in case anyone needs 'em)...Other folks have had good luck with EFI systems or Webers.

I almost suggested in the "Porsche for a 16 year-old" thread that they start them out with a Corvair...I learned to drive in a '62 VW, then Corvairs, then 911's. I would sort of equate this as going from a Cessna 150 to a 172 then to a Cardinal RG. The Corvair is so easy and inexpensive to maintain and to have great fun autocrossing! Plus, wrenching skills are similar to those of a 911!

As you can see in the 2x1bbl Monza 110 engine, the A/C has been upgraded by using a '66 condenser and a newer Sanden compressor. Richard Finch used a pic of our engine in his new Corvair A/C book. We drove to the Flagstaff convention a few years back cruising at rather "spirited" speeds and kept very cool!
I just wish my 911s cooled as well!

All in all, a Corvair is a great addition to anyone's rear-engined stable...Sometimes we'll drive a Corvair and a 911 to cruise night events, park them side-by-side and just wait for the questions to start!

sammyg2 · 10:08 AM

Iffn you kept the tire pressures right they handled just fine. i can't remember what the specified pressures were but there was a huge difference between front and back.

My parents had a 65 and I put lots O'miles on it.

EDIT, the front tires had 11 psi less than the rears, and the 1965 I drove had IRS so it handled better than the earlier cars, which I haven't driven.

KevinP73 · 10-26-2006, 10:07 AM

I think you need to own or at least drive a couple of these cars to really appreciate them. They are a blast and yours are beautiful.
How about a little contrast to your engine pics? The freight company called Saturday to let me know they had a delivery for me. My Yenko motor has finally arrived. I've been waiting almost a year for the guy to package it up and send it to me. It's far from beautiful in its current state but eventually I should have it looking as great as yours are.