The Corvair
 

Just a fun read...

The Corvair: The Misunderstood, Revolutionary Chevy

Funny story time. It is 1987. I have a big budget and am tasked with bringing speakers to the University of Oregon. Ralph Nader is contracted to speak (sorry). I have a very good friend with a much loved corvair. I gave serious consideration to picking up Mr. Nader in this very car.

The resolution of this story is that Nader had a conflict and did not come to Eugene.

Thought you might enjoy. Nader is a jerk.

^^^
That would have been a hoot!!!

Ohhh..if only!

Owning a '65 to '69 is one of the cars on my bucket list.

I ran 3 ramp sides the first 6 - 8 years of my service business.
Their bellies would hold a 36" platform mower easily...welded a huge lumber rack on one...cab over, even. Work horses, they were.
Maintenance forced me to sell them...bought F-150's.

I sold my 356c because I was frightened of the motor rebuilt cost and instead I bought a '66 140 Corsa convertible. The steering was awful until I installed one of those quick steering kits from Clarks. It was always a bit soft but I did like the way the secondary carbs kicked in. They are very inexpensive and I think very underated. Everyone should try one.

You should have brought in some big azz Polk SDA 1.2 speakers....170 lbs each and they rock! Oh wait ...nevermind :)

Nader didn't care if it was true or not, he made a fortune by convincing others that a great injustice had occurred when it didn't.

Did we mention what he did for a living?

And at the time the book was written he had never had a driver's license in his entire life!!! :eek::eek:

Here's my '64 Spyder convertible. Factory stock restoration with original Kelsey Hayes knockoff wire wheels.

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/...psgcwy3dzg.jpg

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/...psahrm79jq.jpg

That came later. He is a lawyer. More specifically, he is a plaintiff's attorney.

I've always liked the back end of the early cars and the front end of the later cars.
Is there a single year that had both on the same vehicle?

Beautiful car Nickshu! Great color, and the wheels look great, realy set it off.

I just dug up this pic from the late 60s. My Dad looking a young man, outside our house in Fla

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1491853741.jpg

Soft mint green, with red interior. Pretty sporty in my mind.

Cheers Richard

Nader
 

Nader never learned to drive. I don't believe he ever owned a car. One year. in the late 1980s he was invited (and accepted) to be the keynote speaker at the national Corvair Club show. There are some pictures floating around of him sitting in a Corvair convertible.

I was sort of bummed as a kid when a friend of my Dad's bought an early 911.

What the ....! it sounded exactly like our neighbor's Corvair!

They're great little cars for the money.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1491867432.jpg
Started as a '65 parts car. Transplanted a '68 140hp motor bored .040 over with a .280 lift Isky , drilled out all four carbs, remote oil cooler with custom plumbed Accusump oil system, quick steer arms and an OEM close ratio steering box, 4sp posi rear end upgraded with 4spyder gears. Still needs better brakes but an aftermarket disc brake kits is in the shop waiting to be installed. Period correct 14X7 American Racing wheels.
Affectionately called Scrufus Domesticus, or Scruffy D for short.

Then there's my '62 Utility van. Bone stock with the original 2sp 'glide and a 95hp motor.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1491868027.JPG
Both cars are a ton of fun to drive. No matter where I go somebody stops me to ask what it is or to share their Corvair story.


P.S. A '64 356 Coupe rounds out the stable.

LOL :D

GM was working on an air cooled flat-6 years before Porsche. And turbocharging it at least a decade before Porsche too. I'm not saying that a Corvair (sporty economy car) is equal to a Porsche (refined/engineered sports car) but they were thinking along the same lines. That was an exciting time to be at GM, when engineers still ruled the roost before the accountants and unions took over.

I have an article around here somewhere about the Corvair engine design with only four main bearings. The engine was originally designed in the late 1950's to only ever be mated to a powerglide (automatic) transmission with a torque converter. Just after the first cars were launched (1960) GM succumbed to customer demands and offered a manual transmission. This caused vibration problems with only four main bearings which instead of redesigning the engine they came up with a unique two piece flywheel design that soaked up the vibrations nicely. Ironically in the article it talks about how Porsche had the same problem when developing the 911 (901) engine, which they originally built prototypes with only four main bearings and had to go to more (seven?) to address the vibration issues caused by the clutch and flywheel. Anyhow an interesting piece of automotive history...

I've always liked this version. Great color combo, too.

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/6081377980.html