I have a confession to make...

[Greg]

I'm a car guy, I like projects, V8's, fast cars, etc... and something like this really interests me... :freak: -


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[lewis]

He needs a new windshield Also since all that weight is in the rear wouldn't the steering feel scary when getting on it?

 

[Greg]

He needs a new windshield Also since all that weight is in the rear wouldn't the steering feel scary when getting on it?

Yeah, I noticed the windshield...

The SBC ends up sitting where the rear seats were, making it a mid-engine car. With the most popular adapter kit, the balance between front & rear is a perfect 50/50 split, turning a normally stock 'fun' car into one hell of a road race car. They are known to tear up curvy roads without problem and the rear tires have enough weight over them to keep pretty good traction.

 

[Rot Box]

Just buy a Detomaso and be done with it :greg: http://www.panteracars.com/

 

[Stephen]

I love Corvairs. The second generation from 1965+ are probably one of the best looking American cars of the '60's. But I think putting a V8 in one would make their handling really weird. I know they did it all the time back in the day, and even raced them fairly successfully, but I still think it would be strange.
I'd be happy with a '66 or so Monza with the turbo 180hp flat six.

 

[Tacoma]

Stephen, qualify that opinion. Please. There's nothing intrisically odd about the post-V8 handling. Handling feel is partly a function of weight distribution, so a better-balanced car would pretty much have to feel like it handled better. I am just not sure where you get some of your objections.

!! Wait! I know!! The Corvair is not odd enough, or despised enough, and it's American!! Sacre bleu!!

heheh

 

[Tacoma]

Oh, yeah! Corvairs were the first Yenko conversions if I remember right. Pretty rare, not that ANY Yenko cars are exactly common.

 

[Stephen]

Stephen, qualify that opinion. Please. There's nothing intrisically odd about the post-V8 handling. Handling feel is partly a function of weight distribution, so a better-balanced car would pretty much have to feel like it handled better. I am just not sure where you get some of your objections.

Since the engine and majority of weight is now in the middle, the Corvair now becomes a mid engine car, which yes, does improve weight distribution. And as a mid engine car, you would find it more maneuverable to be sure. But also inherent to all mid engine cars with significant power (think your tony Italians from the late sixties to eighties) they also have a tendency to spin out very easily. Now I'm not saying that a stock Corvair was immune to such things, but by '65 the handling had become quite neutral.

Now I'm not saying that Ted Trevor's Crown Conversion Corvairs weren't cool (though I think his Corvair powered Manx Pikes Peak hill climber was cooler), I'm just saying that I still think it would handle weird by comparison to a stock Corvair, which is a fine handling car.

!! Wait! I know!! The Corvair is not odd enough, or despised enough, and it's American!! Sacre bleu!!

heheh

True, if I were going for a rear engine vehicle, I'd rather have a Renault Turbo any day.

 

[jackjoh]

Is remember watching Corvairs race at the Pomona Raceway in about 1967. The only mods I saw were camber compensators and limiting straps in the rear. "Unsafe at any speed" was a complete fallacy. VW's were much worse.

 

[Rot Box]

Do you guy's remember the routing of the Corvair's fan belt?! I remember laughing and poking fun at that for quite awhile I can't believe they didn't just fly right off!

 

[Badger]

One of my old roomates used to be into Corvairs big time. He had one that he used to race back on the east coast. I remember him talking about stuffing a turbo charged Subby motor into a Corvair to get more power and better reliability.

 

[Stephen]

Do you guy's remember the routing of the Corvair's fan belt?! I remember laughing and poking fun at that for quite awhile I can't believe they didn't just fly right off!

The 'mule' belt. It is very odd. But hey, it works!

 

[BCGPER]

Of course ya'll know any REAL car guy is out on the salt right now, right??

 

[ricsrx]

Just buy a Detomaso and be done with it :greg:

X2

 

[Greg]

Just buy a Detomaso and be done with it :greg: http://www.panteracars.com/

If I could swing it, I would. You going to co-sign on the loan for me?

Oh, yeah! Corvairs were the first Yenko conversions if I remember right. Pretty rare, not that ANY Yenko cars are exactly common.

For sure, a Yenko Corvair would be neat! But tough to find and high $$$$.

Since the engine and majority of weight is now in the middle, the Corvair now becomes a mid engine car, which yes, does improve weight distribution. And as a mid engine car, you would find it more maneuverable to be sure. But also inherent to all mid engine cars with significant power (think your tony Italians from the late sixties to eighties) they also have a tendency to spin out very easily. Now I'm not saying that a stock Corvair was immune to such things, but by '65 the handling had become quite neutral.

Now I'm not saying that Ted Trevor's Crown Conversion Corvairs weren't cool (though I think his Corvair powered Manx Pikes Peak hill climber was cooler), I'm just saying that I still think it would handle weird by comparison to a stock Corvair, which is a fine handling car.

True, if I were going for a rear engine vehicle, I'd rather have a Renault Turbo any day.

I don't think a V8 Corvair would handle all that bad at all, I mean it would be no Indy car, but with a 50/50 bias and the torque of a healthy V8, it would be a blast to drive into and out of curvy roads. I don't see how it would be that bad... would get even better with an aluminum V8.

I agree that a factory turbo Corvair would be a blast, but again, $$$ and hard to find. Back in the day, there were plenty of hop-ups of the 6 cyl engines. From what I've read, it wasn't hard to get 200 horsepower out of the air cooled 6 cyl.

Is remember watching Corvairs race at the Pomona Raceway in about 1967. The only mods I saw were camber compensators and limiting straps in the rear. "Unsafe at any speed" was a complete fallacy. VW's were much worse.

Nader was a buzzkill... :-\

Do you guy's remember the routing of the Corvair's fan belt?! I remember laughing and poking fun at that for quite awhile I can't believe they didn't just fly right off!

Some guys in the big Corvair club have an event... the fan belt toss. Much like horse shoes, except with Corvair fan belts... since that's what the cars would do.

One of my old roomates used to be into Corvairs big time. He had one that he used to race back on the east coast. I remember him talking about stuffing a turbo charged Subby motor into a Corvair to get more power and better reliability.

I could see how a turbo'd Subie engine would be a ball in a Corvair!

Of course ya'll know any REAL car guy is out on the salt right now, right??

Yeah, yeah.... I'm a 'working' car guy. As much as I'd love to be out there, it's just not going to happen.

 

[jackjoh]

If I remember correctly the big drawback was the brakes. You had to brake sooner going into turns then the reat of the cars.

 

[spencurai]

I ran into a guy in Indianapolis who was a Yenko crew member and had a race prepped Yenko Corvair...he was really cool and told me how they used to cheat by changing reworking the heads and putting the spark plugs in different places on the heads to get better flame fronts in the combustion chamber. I have film pictures of the car somewhere...I'll have to dig for them though.

Corvairs are really cool cars but finding one that isn't a rust bucket can be a challenge. There is a guy at the airport with a pristine factory paint corvair...I've been offering him money for quite a while but he will probably be buried in that car

 

[lewis]

I have a neighbor selling one, Greg it has your name already on it.

 

[Greg]

I have a neighbor selling one, Greg it has your name already on it.

Oh yeah? I'm nowhere near ready for the next project, but do you have any more info, year, price, condition, etc?

 

[rholbrook]

My friend sold his convertible Syder(factory turbo) a little while back. Really clean and he pretty much gave it away. Not much interest in it.