Time to clear up some misconceptions. I really hate to have a group of
intelligent people spreading misinformation and old wives tales. (I
assume you already know that Audi's don't accelerate under demonic
possession and that GM trucks don't explode when a shopping cart rolls
into them).
Corvairs do not eat fan belts, do not eat clutch cables, handle as good
as any car of the 60's (and better than most... Datsun Roadsters
included).
Most of the misconceptions are due to improper maintenance.
If you overtighten the fan belt, it will stretch and eventually come
off. I've had 1 fan belt break in 10 years... and I had put it on 8
years ago... and it was used then.
Clutch cables: If you forget to attach the grounding cables when
replacing an engine, the entire electrical system is grounded via the
clutch cable and will burn it up. An interesting concept some owners
never quite figure out.
Swing axles: Many cars of the era had swing axles, including VW's,
Porsche, Mercedes, and Spits. While these cars handle differently, they
do outhandle a solid rear axle and provide a superior ride. Like the
VW's and Porsche, tire inflation is important. If you don't keep the
proper amount of air in the tires, handling gets twitchy.
In 1965, the Corvair was redesigned with upper and lower A-arms and this
did away with the swing axle. A 65-69 Corvair will beat a Corvette on
the skid pad and is one of the finest handling cars of the era. The cars
still do well in autocrosses and road races. (These are also the only
cars into which a skilled mechanic would do a mid-engine V8 transplant.
4 common ways to do it; 2 using the Corvair transaxle and one using the
Toro/Eldo transxle. Done correctly, this can make quite a vehicle. Done
incorrectly... well, I've been in a 427 Beetle. Not as desirable as it
may sound.)
CO poisoning: As in any air-cooled car with heat exchangers, these have
to be maintained. Oil leaks were once somewhat of a problem, but this
was cured early on. Again, though, it does require that you do some
maintenance every 80,000 miles or so.
About the only thing the Corvair was rightfully accused of was the
dangerous steering column... a problem common on 60's cars and rectified
in 1967 with a collapsible column.
Corvairs are also dreadfully undervalued (thanks to these common
misconceptions). You might consider one for a fun family car for when
you need more than 2 seats.
Bill Elliott
Lake Mills, WI
'64 Trabant P600
'65 Corvair Monza (w/Judson Supercharger)
'66 Corvair Corsa 140 (4 1 bbl carbs)
'70 Datsun 2000 Roadster
'71 TR6
'73 Porsche 914
'85 Audi Quattro Turbo Coupe
|