993 Corvair

[Chocaholic]

Oh my. What would Ralph Nader say?

[nota]

Originally Posted by masraum

Many years ago, I wanted and thought about getting a Corvair, but at the time, I was poor and the parts were expensive and much harder to get than other cars so I passed. My dad had a couple/few when he was younger.

in the early to mid 70s corvairs were cheap to buy 50 to 200 range
and the 200 was a 35k mile like new car
they were so cheap it was a replace rather then repair if they needed more then minor work that is why I went thru 6 of them all 65 or 66s before 1980

but yes major parts were very high priced and GM dealer only

[bob deluke]

Agree with rsbob, what’s the point? Car is fugugly to begin with, one of the worst designs GM ever came up with. I can see a flat 6 in a VW Karman Ghia, keeping it in the family and all. But in a Corvair? Meh.

[rcooled]

Some years back, I met a guy named Jay Eitel, who'd stuffed a 370HP Jag V12 into the front of his 1967 Corvair Monza. Already in his mid-70s at the time, he engineered the whole conversion himself, which included combining a modified Pontiac Tempest transaxle with a reworked Chevy Powerglide to yield a unique 4-speed automatic w/torque converter. He also designed and built the engine's cooling system which lives in the Corvair's engine bay, while paying special attention to make the car appear bone stock. There are no obvious scoops or air intakes hinting at what's underneath, and even the exhaust exits in the original location and is designed to sound like a stock Corvair. On the inside, only the shifter differs from stock. A pod with the tach and other instruments folds away into the glove box so that the dash can appear totally stock when the car is parked.

[rfuerst911sc]

While it is an interesting build I'd rather do that 993 conversion in a VW Ghia . At least they are cousins .

[CDD Autogear]

I get it some people aren't fans of Corvair styling. But styling is subjective and can be debated endlessly.

What I don't get is the strange turbine paddle wheeler metaphor because performance is not subjective but very much objective and measurable.

What this modification did was add 150 HP, better suspension and ABS brakes which greatly increased acceleration, cornering and stopping as well as improved safety. That can and has been measured and is not up for debate.

I love the 2nd gen Corvair styling, I have been working on hot rods since I was 13 and I have been driving Porsches for over 50 years. With one build I scratched all three of those itches.

Some of you have a different take on the aesthetics, great. I am anxiously awaiting those 993 Ghia build photos.

[RWebb]

a jet turbine engine in a paddle wheeler would be a lot of fun

[RSBob]

It would make one helluva rooster tail.

[madcorgi]

Bought a 66 Corvair Monza in 1983 for $900, to "save miles" on my first 911. The particular car was a piece of junk--the windows had leaked so much the interior had rotted, and it had been painted in a dirt floor shop, with predictable results. The paint job was matte metallic Marlboro Maroon 60-grit. I had heard the hot lick was installing a rack and pinion steering system, so I did that, creating a poor-handling monster out of what was a pretty great handling car. Brand new Goodyear "Wingfoot" tires didn't help much, but looked cool. Eventually pulled out the whole rotted interior except the driver's seat. Never could fix the leaky windshield, so after a good hard St Louis rain I'd find a couple of inches of water in the footwells. As winter arrived, it became an ice rink.

Ended up moving to DC. To save my marriage, I sold it to some kid for $450, a brutal loss lesson. I hope to God the kid was careful.

Even today, if we are having an argument, my wife can just shut it down by simply chanting "Corvair! Corvair! Corvair!" until I concede.

But man, that was a cool car.

[madcorgi]

Originally Posted by rcooled

Some years back, I met a guy named Jay Eitel, who'd stuffed a 370HP Jag V12 into the front of his 1967 Corvair Monza. Already in his mid-70s at the time, he engineered the whole conversion himself, which included combining a modified Pontiac Tempest transaxle with a reworked Chevy Powerglide to yield a unique 4-speed automatic w/torque converter. He also designed and built the engine's cooling system which lives in the Corvair's engine bay, while paying special attention to make the car appear bone stock. There are no obvious scoops or air intakes hinting at what's underneath, and even the exhaust exits in the original location and is designed to sound like a stock Corvair. On the inside, only the shifter differs from stock. A pod with the tach and other instruments folds away into the glove box so that the dash can appear totally stock when the car is parked.

That is amazing!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by RSBob

I know this will not be a popular opinion because this is primarily a rear engine, air cooled tribe, but I have never been a fan of Corvair styling inside or out. Found it to be another stylistically bereft GM product. My uncle had one for many years and I found VW Bug styling superior. Putting 993 power and running gear as much a travesty as putting a jet turbine engine in a paddle wheeler. Oh yes it is an engineering feat, but it is still a stern wheeler. P.S. popularity is overrated except by the insecure.

I think they look great.
The '60-'64 are a little quirky because they're older, but that gives them character.






Starting in '65 they look sportier. I prefer these to the '64.


'66 seems basically the same.


even the 'verts look decent
'67


I'm not sure what, if anything, changed on the outward appearance after '66.
'68


'69

[fred cook]

I've had two Corvairs, both Corsas. One was a coupe that got hit by a guy running a red light and the other a convertible. While I did not care too much for the pre 65 cars, I did like the 65-69 body styles. Both of my cars had the 140 hp version engine with 4 1bbl carbs and slightly hotter camshaft. By the time I got my first 'Vair, it was 1987 and some clever folks had figured out fixes for the Corvair oil leaks and other issues. I drove the convertible for 5 or 6 years after restoring it and eventually sold it to a collector in Atlanta. After selling it, I bought a 1988 924S and went thru a whole new learning curve!

[Laneco]

Absolutely love the second generation corvairs and this 993 conversion - just WOW!

That said...big Kudos to the guy who went full mental with the Jag V12. Absolutely outside the box!

angela