OT R.I.P. Corvair engine!

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May 19, 2004 | 06:50 PM

#21

Tom73

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Joined: Apr 1999

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From: NM

Re: OT R.I.P. Corvair engine! (SanDiegoPaul)

Quote:

The early Corvair, 60-63, did have some handling issues. It used a swing axle that would allow the rear wheel to tuck in on hard cornering.

I had a '60 once. For about a year or so! Great little car 'til it spun out on me, doing 70 on a freeway offramp in Phoenix. Didn't keep it too much longer after that! :nono:

Well if you hang the entire drive train out back like that you come up with a very strong rear weight bias. Just think about the 'Vair station wagon. All that extra bodywork out back plus lots of room to add cargo, again out back. It is a wonder the front wheels ever touched the ground :) You had to learn to drive them, as the heavy rear would want to kick out. Back then they adjusted for that with air pressure differences between the front and rear tires. Now days they just install tires on the rear that are twice a wide as the front tires. Just look at the Porsche. Those are not there to get you off the line, though they help, but they are there to keep the rear end from passing the front end :yesnod: But the Porsche will still swap ends. Read awhile back that something like 70% or better of the Porsche Turbo accidents involved hitting something with the rear end :lol:

But I still like the 'Vair, even the early ones. They are one of the few cars that can make me smile whenever I see one :D

tom...

May 19, 2004 | 07:20 PM

#22

71coupe

Melting Slicks

Joined: Jun 2001

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From: CA

Re: OT R.I.P. Corvair engine! (Tom73)

Quote:

Read awhile back that something like 70% or better of the Porsche Turbo accidents involved hitting something with the rear end :lol:
tom...

That same thing happened to a guy I worked with in his 930 on the fwy. He stopped wearing his Porsche jacket after that :lol:

May 20, 2004 | 01:41 AM

#23

Solid LT1

Le Mans Master

Joined: Dec 2003

Posts: 5,727

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From: Fremont CA

Re: OT R.I.P. Corvair engine! (71coupe)

Anyone with a 65-9 Corvair, I have a set of 14X6.5 wide Minilite wheels like the Yenko Stingers used (real English Minilites! not cheap imitataions!) The wheels are in excellent shape and I'll sell the set for $480 if you are interested. My buddy has a 69 L-36 Vette Roadster and a 66 140HP Monza in his garage, I think he'll be driving the Monza more often with today's gas prices!

May 20, 2004 | 08:30 AM

#24

Ganey

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Joined: Apr 1999

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From: CORVETTE 77 385 C.I. TEXAS

Re: OT R.I.P. Corvair engine! (Wrencher)

Hans
You start a R.I.P. engine topic & it turns into a Corvair R.I.P., not that you mind.

Another point mentioned was the lack of a front engine in the case of a frontal collision. Actually since a Chevy V-8 doesn't collapse, the Corvair could be designed to absorb the impact & be safer than usual in that case.

Porsche 911- a major part of the popularity was practicality & reliability compared to British & Italian cars. When the 911 was discontinued for the 928, one of the mags. said it's about time to retire it w/ it's rubber shifter & poor high speed stability, etc.

Tom
Yes, that's worth mentioning as well as other things here.

The Corvair never remotely had enough power for me, it's more about the right to choose & engineering.
Hot Rodder, Corvette & exotic sports car enthusiast from the beginning,

:cool:

May 20, 2004 | 09:21 AM

#25

Tom73

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Joined: Apr 1999

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From: NM

Re: OT R.I.P. Corvair engine! (Ganey)

Quote:

Another point mentioned was the lack of a front engine in the case of a frontal collision. Actually since a Chevy V-8 doesn't collapse, the Corvair could be designed to absorb the impact & be safer than usual in that case.

I read that the early 'Vair had the strongest unibody assembly ever built. Guess that since the unibody was something new to GM, at that time, they just totaly overbuilt it :)

tom...

May 20, 2004 | 10:33 AM

#26

burners

Le Mans Master

Joined: Aug 2000

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From: Brazos TX

Cruise-In IV Veteran

Cruise-In V Veteran

Re: OT R.I.P. Corvair engine! (Wrencher)

Such a bummer, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope the damage isn't too bad. Like so many others have expressed I really enjoy Corvairs also. I learned to work on cars by keeping a '62 with a PG running. What a great little car. Over the years my family has owned quite a few. I've been kicking the idea around of doing a reverse rotation 4.3L V6 in the conventional rear engine layout so you still have the back seat. That would make a nice little screamer.

May 20, 2004 | 10:59 AM

#27

Kevin Mason

Burning Brakes

Joined: Nov 2000

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Re: OT R.I.P. Corvair engine! (Tom73)

Somewhat off-topic, but in response to the guy who posted about swingaxle rear suspensions:

VW Bugs (-pre 1969) used the swingaxle arrangement. This setup is still preferred by VW drag and off-road racers.

1969 and later Beetles used a very nice bulletproof IRS setup, similar to a 911. Not surprisingly, preferred by VW road racers.

May 21, 2004 | 02:18 PM

#28

Wrencher

Thread Starter

Safety Car

Joined: Oct 1999

Posts: 4,101

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From: NorCal

Re: OT R.I.P. Corvair engine! (SanDiegoPaul)

Quote:

Ahhh, lift throttle oversteer! :yesnod:

When you drive rear engine car you have to use this to your advantage. Basically you come into the corner hot, brake hard in a STRAIGHT line, turn in in as you lift off the brakes, and if your still carrying enought speed the rear end should rotate a nicely as you counter-steer through the corner. At the apex, smoothly feed in power and it'll straighten out like it's on rails and drift nicely out to the edge of the track/road/yellow line.

People that race against Porsche/Corvairs and the like will tell you that they hate to follow them because they essentially go sideways in the entrance to turns and are a pain in the derierre to pass there. So you get blocked, then you watch them LAUNCH out of the corner while your still fighting understeer with your big, fat front engined car! :mad :mad

Ain't racing great? :D

Hans