<<I owned (as opposed to trading) several Corvairs. Those little
engines were tough, but they weren't all that radical.>>
Pretty radical for a US company. First modern US air-cooled,
first (and last) modern US rear-engine design, first US 4 wheel
independent suspension. First modern US car (ex Corvette) with
buckets and floor-shift... proved the market for later pony-cars.
Also, first modern turbo production charged car. (OK, the Olds
Jetfire 3.5 by a couple of weeks...)
<<Lots of VWs around to copy. Too bad the Chevy engineers didn't look to see
how the
VW engine's oils seals were designed. Never saw or owned a Corvair that
didn't leak oil.>>
Agreed. I much prefer the VW/Porsche design. However,
by the early 80's, new materials (Viton seals) had
pretty much solved the problem. Reseals needed only
every 30-40k. And, Corvairs never leak coolant. :-)
<<As far as handling goes, I had a `66 Corsa Coupe with
the turbcharged engine that went around corners like it was on rails.
That little car could blow the doors off any contemporary TR or MG, at
the stoplight drags or on the road (LBC content).>>
This was why I got into Corvairs. Guys were autocrossing
mediocre cars with great success. (I was autocrossing
a Midget with no success... not the MG's fault :-0 )
The good cars did exceptionally well. Handling (despite
the awkward weight distribution) is really world-class
on the 65-69 cars. Even better with use of modern tires
and shocks. We ran an ITA Corvair successfully for several years.
<< Problem was that
after it was run hard, the headpipe exhaust seals had to be replaced
between the manifolds and the turbo. The pressure blew thm out and the
turbo woudn't boost until the system was sealed back up.>>
The turbos aren't used for high performance applications
for this and other heat-related issues. The best set-up
is the factory "140" with big-valve heads and four 1bbl
carbs. Turbos are great for drag racing, though!
Related topic: I just bought an NOS Judson supercharger
(yes they made them for the Corvair, too) for my Corsa 140... hope
to have the best of both worlds once I get it set up.
<< Also, since
the heater used warm air off the cylinder heads, the fumes came into the
car. Fun, huh?>>
Pretty much solved by the Viton seals, but even a properly-
restored heating system is only fair. At least the
defroster no longer sprays oil on the windshield. ;-)
<< Ralph Nader killed the Corvair with his book "Unsafe at Any Speed."
By the time Chevy had the handling problems sorted out they couldn't
GIVE the cars away.>>
I won't get into a dissertation on Nader. Everyone
should already know that he and his type were responsible
for the enormous federal bureaucracy that drove many car
makers out of business, helped to bury the British car
industry, and made sure the US was denied many desirable
cars due to draconian safety regulations.... but you can
still buy motorcycles. Go figure. (Had it not been for
these regulations, the sports car industry might have
evolved like the sports bikes.... light weight and high hp.)
But it was the market that really killed the Corvair.
The Mustang (which was conventionally engineered and
much cheaper to produce) had much greater straight-line
performance. The Corvair was design-limited in
displacement. In 1965, few cared much about handling
and economy. Once the Camaro was brought out to compete
with the Mustang and the ChevyII took over economy car
duties, the Corvair was no longer needed.
In my opinion, it was the kind of car we should have had
in the 70's instead of the Vega and Pinto. If we had, maybe
we'd have MG's here in the 90's.
Disclaimer: While the Corvair is a wonderful car, fun to
drive, etc... it's no sports car. Doesn't hold a candle
to blasting down back roads in a British roadster on a
sunny afternoon....
Bill Elliott
Lake Mills, WI
LBC's and Corvairs
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