Any Corvair Fans Here?

-
pishta said:
we lost the belt on a 351C 71 Mustang on a freeway connector, long sweeping turn. We really felt it when it happened, like you said, a kick in the butt. My workmate had a corvair with an LT1 'vette motor behind the seat conversion, made it a mid engine car. Could not keep a rear end in it for some reason.
Dad had a 61 and it leaked exhaust into the cab. Did it have forced air heating across an exhaust like the VW did?
Click to expand...

Yep...but it's even worse (I believe, I've never owned a VW). The Corvair picks up heat directly from the exhaust manifolds, so if there is any oil on the engine, you'll smell it when you turn the heat on. I think the VW at least had a heat exchanger.
 
When we cruised in high school there was a guy that had a gold convertible with a small block Chevy in it and a 6-71 on it. That belt was just inches away from the front seat. I always thought that would not be fun if the belt broke.
 
my air cooled Honda had the same heater: an open ended case around the finned headpipe that led to a duct to a cooling fan to a heater duct into the cab. Worked great until the head pipe pinholed and raw exhaust started coming in. Sleepy time.....
 
Pretty sure the SBC sits backwards if you put one in.

Outside one of my old friend's rented shop sat a triple black 4 speed turbo monza spyder vert.
He knew nothing about it. Might still be there.

Used to pass a 65 or newer in yellow with iroc z wheels on it and a fabbed rear spoiler.
Kinda cool.
 
I thought the 65 up cars were good looking but it's not one of the only four chevys that I have owned in my 61 years.
 
YY1 said:
Pretty sure the SBC sits backwards if you put one in.
Click to expand...

With the Crown Engineering kit the SB sits facing forward in the back seat. The picture I posted above is kinda dark in the car to see that. The Corvair transaxle is turned around and the 4 speed box is now facing forward.

Handled like a CanAm car, point and punch.

Potential Deathtrap.
 
44070dart said:
Girl I went out with wayyyyy back had a new '68 Monza Spyder 4 speed, don't remember if it had 2 or 4 carbs. Thing was cool to drive. Don't know what Ralph was so hot about. I never pushed it on an open highway, but around town thing would move along. The little redhead that owned it was pretty nice also. This summer at a cruise night there was a Corvair with a 350 small block in it.
Click to expand...
Ralph didn't like the earlier swing axle cars. The 13" wheels didn't help the handling either. By '68 they had long gotten rid of that junk for a real independent rear suspension, and there were better tires. Too little too late, alas Ralphie had already done his damage. Plus, GM had the Camaro by then and the Corvair was sort of redundant.
 
Last edited:
My uncle made one for my cousin into a dune buggy, with a 327 Vette engine, when he was in high school.
 
harrisonm said:
Which ones did you have. A friend had one with a turbo (Spyder I think they called it) and a 4 speed, and it was a BLAST to drive.
Click to expand...
65 corsa-66 monza-65 van-65 monza conv-air car and one 68 four door
 
Aaron65 said:
Yep...but it's even worse (I believe, I've never owned a VW). The Corvair picks up heat directly from the exhaust manifolds, so if there is any oil on the engine, you'll smell it when you turn the heat on. I think the VW at least had a heat exchanger.
Click to expand...
hmm.. mine had a gas fueled heater in the Trunk (Ihad to change the spark plug every year or it spewed gas fumes throughout the inside of the car.
s-l1600.jpg
 
Last year I was racing a hole in the Hood class and lined up against a converted front engine dual quad blower straight axle Gasser Corvair.. one of a couple different cars he drag races.. he got me by a few tenths, but give me major kudos for giving him such a run with a 4-speed..
 
Last edited:
j par said:
Last year I was racing a hole in the Hood class and lined up against a converted front engine dual quad blower straight axle Gasser Corvair.. one of a couple different cars he drag races.. he got me by a few tents but give me major kudos for giving him such a run with a 4-speed..
Click to expand...
Big tents, or small ones?
 
I had a friend in high school his father was really into them and his sister had one and I remember one day going for a ride in it.. It was a convertible and my friend was driving and another buddy was in the other front seat and I was in the back and I couldn't stop looking back as if someone was tailgating us...
 
My friend's mother had a 1965 Corvair with a powerslide 2 speed trans. It was underpowered. But great in the snow. It handled well. The first year of the new suspension. Some were sold with turbos. Another innovation for that era.

Back then, most cars looked different from year to year. And there was a lot of different product. Corvair, Corvan, Pick up with side gate, A-100 van, Ford van, Mustang, Thunderbird, Rivera, FWD Toronado, Chevy II, Valiant/Lancer, Falcon, Avanti, And many assorted convertibles. ------------Nowadays, a new color and a bigger screen to look at while you're supposed to be driving.
 
Here is one I like a lot. James Reeves at Road Atlanta 2011 for some fun. Not the greatest definition, but location of camera makes it good.
 
Aaron65 said:
Yeah, the early ones had an optional gas heater, but that was no longer available by '65 when mine was built.
Click to expand...
Dang thing would burn you out of the car when it worked though. Loved my 62 kept it through high school (even though I had a dart convertible I went on date with.) but the corvair was a driver for school. best snow vehicle I've ever owned besides a 4wd truck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top