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BS: Corvairs...
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Subject: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 09 Jan 13 - 08:26 PM On another thread I mentioned that I once owned a Corvair... Well, that's not true as I've owned two and a half of them... More on the half part... My last one was a '66 Corsa, 110 hp, 4 speed, white with red & white guts (interior)... And it was a sweet... I actually owned it while I was working as a precinct captain in 2000 and had my Nader/2000 decal on the back... For those of you who don't recall, Ralph Nader published a book entitled "Unsafe at Any Speed" about the Corvair... Guess Nader and I didn't see eye-to-eye on everything... My first 'Vair was a basket case when I bought it and a not much improved when I sold it... Speakin' of basket cases, I bought an old Volkswagen with a Corvair engine sitting next to it on a pallet... There was also an adapter kit - or some of it - and so I bought it, towed the bug home and threw the Corvair engine in a buddies truck... Couple weeks later, I had the Corvair engine bolted in and wired and running and all was well, right??? Well, not excatly... Ya' see, the Corvair engine runs backwards from the VW engine which meant when I invited all my freinds for the test drive the car had 1 really strong first gear and 4 others that went backwards??? So, that meant taking the engine back out, pulling thr VW transaxle which is a pain in the butt, shifting the gear carrier in the transaxle from one side to the other... I had just finished that part when a buddy came by and said that he knew someone who was interested in the car and I was gettin' a little tired of the project so... ... I sold it to this guy and went on to something else... But Corvairs have always had a special place in my memories and heart... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Rapparee Date: 09 Jan 13 - 08:41 PM And in mine too...just like the Pinto, the Yugo, and the Simca. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 09 Jan 13 - 08:53 PM You can keep the Yugo and the Simca but the Pin-hole??? Great little cars... Had one of them, too... Had a 2.4 and 4 speed and from light to light would keep up with any Vette around... That Pin-hoie would chirp the tires even in 3rd gear... One bad ass little car from 0-60... Okay, make that 0 - 50... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Jeri Date: 09 Jan 13 - 08:56 PM A guy I worked with (my best friend back then, in 1978) restored a Corvair. Dark red, almost maroon, dual carbs, and the sucker flew. He took me for a ride to show me the famous wobble. You could do more than 100 mph easily (for brief periods, at least) on Texas highways back then, and probably still can. It was weird, and I wasn't driving, but it didn't seem that significant. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Ed T Date: 09 Jan 13 - 09:06 PM I used to hear that some folks removed the engines and put them in VW Bugs? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 09 Jan 13 - 09:13 PM Yup... Reread my original post for the VW story... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Rapparee Date: 09 Jan 13 - 10:23 PM Bobert, I can get rubber on all four wheels these days. Of course, having all-wheel drive and a manual tranny makes it easier. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 09 Jan 13 - 10:36 PM Now listen, Rap... You don't fool me for one second here, pal... You ain't got no four-wheel-drive, son... Unless you have a military vehicle then it's one pulling wheel in the front and another in the back... M880's rock... I've had 2 and they absolutely rock... Go thru snow like it ain't there... Over grown fields??? No problem... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Phil Cooper Date: 09 Jan 13 - 10:56 PM I had a mercury bobcat, which was sort of a pinto. We dubbed it the baby tank. Some interesting things occurred in that car that you wouldn't think were physically possible :) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 09 Jan 13 - 11:04 PM You be da' man, Phil... B:~) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: EBarnacle Date: 10 Jan 13 - 12:48 AM Bobert, was that there Corsa a turbo, by any chance? We used to ice race them and they kept up with the SAABs and Porsches. Nader ws and is an iggeran bastich with no respect for the opinions of othahs. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity Date: 10 Jan 13 - 01:22 AM EBarnacle: "Bobert, was that there Corsa a turbo, by any chance? We used to ice race them and they kept up with the SAABs and Porsches. Nader ws and is an iggeran bastich with no respect for the opinions of othahs." That's OK, EBarnacle..Bobert supports several "iggeran bastich with no respect for the opinions of othahs." GfS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 10 Jan 13 - 07:58 AM No, E-Barn, mine was a 110... Yes, I know how fast the turbos were... Before I turned my '65 Karmann Ghia into an all out mini-stocker I auto-crossed it quite a bit and had a buddy who owned and raced his Spyder and he would routinely take FTD (fast time of the day) with it against the Porsches and Vettes... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: kendall Date: 10 Jan 13 - 08:15 AM The Corvair rode better than any other small car I ever rode in. That "Spider" was a kick ass beast too. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bat Goddess Date: 10 Jan 13 - 08:34 AM My first husband and his father had a real "thing" for Corvairs...and spent most of their free time tinkering with them. They told the story (before my time, so must have been in the '60s) that my mother-in-law announced she had put anti-freeze in the car. They never did figure out where she put it... Linn |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bat Goddess Date: 10 Jan 13 - 08:38 AM Interesting coincidence -- if I had stayed married to my first husband (perish the thought!), today would have been our 43rd wedding anniversary. That's much, much more scary than Corvairs! Linn |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: SINSULL Date: 10 Jan 13 - 09:11 AM A friend in college had a red convertible '68 Corvair. We had fun in that car. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 10 Jan 13 - 11:35 AM I never understood the Corvair. It's like someone at Chevrolet said, "Let's steal the basic idea behind a car that breaks down all the time and whose engine won't go 50,000 miles without a rebuild. Then let's make it even less reliable and harder to work on!" They ripped of Volkswagen's technology, but forgot that what Volkswagen had going for them was that the cars were cheap and easily repaired, not that they were dependable. The things VW got right, Corvair got wrong, and the things VW got wrong, Corvair got wronger. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bill D Date: 10 Jan 13 - 12:21 PM I knew a woman in Wichita who both the 1st Corvair sold there. She walked in at the first day of unveiling and said, "I want one." It took them 30 minutes to figger out what they actually had available. She then spent 2 years having it worked on as they discovered new bugs. Then.... my ex-wife decided to buy one (we were still married at the time). Picked one, 'bought' it, discovered the next day that the front wheels wobbled at anything over 35MPH, took it back to the dealer and stopped payment on her check. Later, she bought another one which she sorta kept going for a couple years till she wrecked it. (we were NOT still married by then) I was never terribly impressed by them... they were comfortable to drive-- when they were drivable. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 10 Jan 13 - 12:49 PM Well, yeah... They weren't terribly dependable but that's no reason to go bustin' on 'um... The counterpart over on the Ford side, the Falcon, wasn't all that dependable either... Both did get better from the 1960 models... Mine was a '66 and I had if for many years and had to tinker a little but nothing major but, then again, I only drove it about 500 miles a month... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Ed T Date: 10 Jan 13 - 01:10 PM Sorry Bobert, I read your first post and should heve been clearer (message to self-don't post when you are tired and ready to go to bed). I was commenting that quite a few people I knew did the VW exchange, (as likely by the adaptors being supplied, as you mention). I heared years back that you had to take the back seat out of the VWs to make the engines fit. Was it true? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 10 Jan 13 - 01:16 PM Nope, not at all... You do need a rear engine support and a goofy looking fibre-glass engine cover which comes with the "kit"... You might be thinking of people making Corvairs mid engine using a V-8 and, yes, it can be done but the engine is sitting right there where the rear seat used to be... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Ed T Date: 10 Jan 13 - 01:48 PM So, the engine sticks out a bit in the back of the VW? A friend of mine put a small block Chev V8 in a Vauxhall Viva (the ones with the funny windows in the back). He had to eliminate the front seat, and put seats in the back (he also extended the pedals and steering to the back and put smaller diameter wheels on front and big ones on the back). Turns out that he forgot to make provisions for a heater, and he got really cold when it got cooler. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Rapparee Date: 10 Jan 13 - 01:59 PM My friends and me put a four cycle lawnmower engine in a Corvair and took took top times as the drags. 'Course we also put on a big blower. Oh yes I can, Bobert. Both my wife's car and mine have AWD and I've done it in both. Before you start in on our AWD vehicles, let me remind you that I live in Idaho -- and right now it's snowing and we could get up to 14 inches on top of what already there. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Ed T Date: 10 Jan 13 - 02:08 PM I had a friend that collected Corvairs, especially the Monza model and swore by the cars. He used to say that Nader killed a potentially good car, that was no less safe than others for the time, and even in later years (for example explowding Ford gas tanks). Anyway, it gave Ford a big advantage to move the Falcon into the Mustang sporty line. The Corvair experience reminds me of the two-seater, mid engined Pontiac Fiero, which was advanced in some ways for its time (and better than the two seater Ford EXP, of the same period). My friends that like Fieros, say that after fine-tuning the problems, they were much improved in the last couple of years. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Ed T Date: 10 Jan 13 - 02:11 PM '"Course we also put on a big blower"" What was this persons name:) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: GUEST,Kendall Date: 10 Jan 13 - 03:13 PM I have a friend who owns two of these and he is happy with them. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 10 Jan 13 - 05:26 PM Yes, of course you put a lawn mower engine in a Corvair, Rap... And the moon is made of Swiss cheese and the pope is Lutheran... Yes, Ed, the engine lid that came with the "kit" looked a little bit like a ducks bill to allow for those extra two cylinders that the VW didn't have... I never even bolted it on since I sold it right after I got the transmission straightened out but before it was completely finished... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Rapparee Date: 10 Jan 13 - 05:35 PM Alright, I was stretching the truth just a little. We really put in an 75hp Evinrude outboard. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: frogprince Date: 10 Jan 13 - 06:10 PM Another instance of seeing one word and knowing who started the thread. : ) The only corvairs I've seen for many years have been at the annual Sloan Fair auto show near us in Flint. That brings out at least a couple. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: frogprince Date: 10 Jan 13 - 06:20 PM Did anyone ever think that one of these was actually worth the effort to tool it up? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 10 Jan 13 - 07:04 PM I remember the vans... They were real cool... Much better lines than the boring Econolines tho... ... the Econoline survives??? Go figure??? B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bill D Date: 10 Jan 13 - 07:51 PM "They weren't terribly dependable but that's no reason to go bustin' on 'um..." LOL... can't think of a better reason! Whatchu want? Love'em cause they're cute? Heck... I know a lady who bought an Isetta! It was ummm... interesting and cute. But when she wanted anyhting moved, it was my & my VW bus. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 10 Jan 13 - 08:17 PM Yeah, lotta trips to move with a trike... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: GUEST,marks(on the road) Date: 10 Jan 13 - 10:34 PM Gotta love it! A Corvair with a Nader sticker! I do admire Ralph but he was waaaaay wide of the mark on this one. And GM really sc***ed the pooch when the sic'd the private detectives on him. Gave Ralph tons of free publicity. I suspect that without this foul up, the book would be long forgotten and the Corvair would still be here! But hey - what do you expect from the company which gave us the sleeved aluminum block Vega! Mark |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 11 Jan 13 - 09:19 AM Yeah, even though I worked in his campaigns I never met Nader himself... I do have a picture somewhere of the back of the "Vair with the sticker on it... Maybe I oughtta fish it out and make a copy and send it to him just for grins... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: kendall Date: 12 Jan 13 - 08:01 AM Caryl P Weiss drove a Vega over 100K miles and loved to brag about that unlikely feat. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Corvairs... From: Bobert Date: 12 Jan 13 - 09:34 AM Yes, getting 100K out of a Vega does seem unimaginable... Actually, 50K is unimaginable... Cast iron block and aluminum head didn't exactly egt along too well... There were a few Cosworth Vegas made that were much better... B~ |
