Projects Norms Monza specs

I thought I would give everyone a little info on my 61 Corvair Monza club coupe. It has gone through a complete restoration/modification.
I wanted to retain a stock look with mods that would have been done in the era.
The car is now painted in Goldwood yellow with a tuxedo black interior. A walnut rim 3 spoke steering wheel in 15" and walnut corvair script shifter knob. The radio was removed and in it place a custom panel made from stainless steel to house the oil temp, pressure, and volt gauges (Mooneyes electronic).
The drivetrain is a 64 Spyder motor mated to a 4speed Rampside transmission. 3.27 gears with a 4 spyder gear carrier w/posi.
The motor was completely rebuilt. The case was deburred, oil galleries opened up, heads deflashed.
Here are the specs
KB pistons 0.60 over
ISKY 260
HEADS all new seats, valves, guides,springs, ***anium keepers
3 angle valve job
Milled, chambers slightly reworked and flowed.
Tailored pushrods.
Crank and flywheel dynamically balanced,as well as pistons and rods.
I balanced the pistons and rods with a fixture I made.
The carb at present is a 65 YH mated to a hybrid F/B TRW (rayjay) turbocharger. The exhaust is wrapped to increase temp and spool the turbo quicker.
Igntion is rebuilt/recurved stock dizzy with a FAST XR-700 trigger ign. I also run a vac adv press ret.
Plug wires Taylor 8mm.
The last piece is a Snow performance water/methanol injection set up.
That's all I got for now. More details to come.

 

Mmmm. Walnut-rimmed steering wheel with chrome spokes...

 

Love it!!

 

This winter I plan to add a MOON puke tank mounted where the spare tire would be mounted. I plan to run 10AN braided lines from the valve covers to the tank.
The other item is a Stromberg WW carb.
I will use a EELCO manifold. I like the old school look and these really perform on a Spyder motor. Removing the restriction of the YH carb will give me an easy 35HP and boost will come on at the top of 1st. It's going to be sweet, just need to make a few extra bucks.

 

I am a Corvair fan . Those cars got a bad rap from that Commie Ralph Nader. I thrashed my old 63 Spyder convertible and if there was something wrong with the design I should be dead. That car never found a corner it didn't like.
Great build !

 

I talked a bit about the drivetrain so I thought I would share a bit on paint and body.
First I completely dis***embled the interior. Everything was removed including all wiring and heat/defrost ***emblies and all the gl***.
Next came all the exterior trim bumpers lights head and tail. Then I chemically stripped the 4 layers of paint. That was a chore. The doors, boot, and bonnet where all removed as well as all hardware. The further I got the more pleased I was a this puppy and zero rust. Just a bit of surface rust in the floors and rockers.
The only welding required was welding the holes in the doors for the rear view mirrors.
The unibody did have small dings and dents but nothing major.
I got it in primer and worked the body over. It took several months work at night. Damn day job.
Next was fill and sand primer and reinstalling the doors bonnet and hood.
I had pinned all the hinges so it went back together nicely.
Next was many hours of primeing sanding and guide coat. Finally got it nice and strait. No wonder paint jobs are so expensive. LABOR.
This was all done in my father's shop, but when it came time for color and clear coats I but the car on a trailer and off to my buddy's paint booth. Took it to him after hours and he shot the Dupont Chroma system color and clear. Three coats of color and four coats of clear and let it bake for awhile.
I picked it up the next day. Nice to have friends like that. It turned out sweet the way it was but I wanted it to be like a mirror.
When I got it back to dads shop the body was re***embled and color sanding and buffing was performed. MORE LABOR.
It turned out excellent.
Then all new NOS trim was installed. The trim that I couldn't replace(window trim) was polished to like new, bumpers rechromed and all brackets blasted and painted. All new gl*** as well and all window mechanisms rebuilt. I had a great time but paint and body are alot of work.
Here's a pic of the Monza in primer and blown apart.

 

Boot Bonnet ..................are you a misplaced Limmey LOL

 

Crown Engineering made an adapter to mount a small block Chevy mid-engine in these cars. The installation I saw was in a Monza Spyder, if memory serves that as being the designation. It was my idea of a Porsche Door Remover, and then lo and behold, the next version they came out with was to mount a small block Chevy in a Porsche. And, I saw one of those and thought of the old adage 'Too much is just right.' And, I agree Nader's crusade was based on what is now called 'Bad Science'. I think it pissed GM engineers off so much they unleashed the Vega Monster on us. Rrrrrr. Really.

 

Cool Corvair! How much boost are you running?

 

Sweet!

 

Man, that is the definition of "a labor of love," for sure. I had a '63 Spyder back in the '60's, but it was 150 HP. I notice the sticker on your turbo reads 180 HP. I'm ***uming that that came from a later 1960's motor (where the HP was higher)? I kind of lost track when the body style changed & didn't realized that they upped the HP in the later turbo motors. Very cool build. I still love that body style.

 

The old story goes that someone went over a hump/ big bump and got one air borne. The axles collapsed in and the rolled over. It might have happened once, but that’s all Nader needed to start a rally against things.
I know the kids in my area trashed the heck out of them and never had any issues

 

Neat car! I had a 102 hp 63 that was my daily driver for about 4 years, sold it about 10 years ago. Still miss that one.

Devin

 

I had a '65 and I got it past the point of no return, I went into a curve and came out backward, I loved that car but I got hit on a Sunday morning by a guy that had been drinking all night long, As I pulled away from the 4 way stop he didn't see the stop sign or was so drunk he didn't know where he was at

He hit me so hard it knocked the transaxle & engine out along with most of the rear sheet metal, the man that was directly across from me setting at the stop sign said what was left of the corvair spun around twice before I hit him.

The drunk was driving a 1963 Cadillac and never touched the brakes, he didn't get a scratch, I was bruised up but the poor guy I bounced off of broke his wrist and his wife broke her nose.

I think I was the only one wearing a set belt. HRP

 

Hello,

My wife’s first car was a 1962 Corvair she bought from a neighbor. Over the years, she drove it to work and school. When I finally met her in college, that Corvair was still in great shape. It had the shiniest rear bumper in all of coastal So Cal. Being college kids, money was tight, when isn’t money tight at 20 somethings or being teenagers?

After college and then getting married was a huge step. Despite the low monthly on our apartment, we still did not have enough to get that pesky oil leak fixed. Looking at your motor makes us very envious.

The only thing that was similar in looks was a new fan belt. Her Corvair had the nasty habit of getting rid of the fan belt at the most oddball times. So, a new spare was always in the trunk. Nice photo of your powerful build!!! It is very impressive.

We liked the 1962 Corvair and after many miles of local driving, she gave it away to her uncle. We were then looking for another newer model Corvair and there were plenty for sale, due to the public scare. We saw a simple looking Corvair convertible that fit our needs. At the time, open air cruising was a fabulous thing and she seriously considered buying that 66 Corsair Corsa model.
similar model and color

What is it with girls with long hair and wanting a convertible for their daily drivers? The convertible tops may be down for summer, if any days, but it certainly would be up for the winter/spring funky weather. Then it is not a quiet as a hard top coupe.

It was a simple model, red and the odd thing was, it had some extras that we liked. (A 4 speed, and a 180 hp motor.) The Corvair Convertible was ordered new in 1966 and now with the bad press, was affordable for the two of us. At the time, almost any Corvair was affordable from the factory, but after the articles and magazines photo spreads, the pickings were easy and great for a couple of 20 somethings with little to spend.

So, did we buy the red 1966 Corvair convertible? No, we bought a fixer upper 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery with a 327 + A/C. It had more room, more power and privacy in the back cave, as it was fully upholstered. My wife loved driving the 40 Ford Sedan Delivery as it had A/C to keep things cool, in more ways than one.

Jnaki

Your build is pretty outstanding and back then/even now, we are envious of the build and horsepower given to that cl***ic design. Our 1962 Corvair Coupe model would have loved the extra power as we certainly would have.
(similar model and color to our 62 Corvair.) Our Corvair was sold for $150.00 to her uncle, but we never saw a penny as times got tough for him.

 

With the current YH carb it pegs the manifold pressure gauge so between 10-12lbs.
When I install the Stromberg WW it will jump up to 15-18lbs. A new boost gauge will be in order as well. With a air cooled engine much over that your going to have cooling issues
The water/meth injection is a must at those boost numbers.

 

The motor is a 64 YR case and heads with 65 larger bore YH carb and 65 cold side(f flow) with 64( b flow) hot side
This give quicker spooling with potential for more boost
I haven't had it on a dyno but I would say it's around 200hp as it sits.

 

Definitely misplaced. We will go with hood and frunk.

 

Thanks for all the love toward my vair. Comments like yours really validate all the work that went into it. Your stories are great as well

 

The next topic on the Monza - Interior/accessories
When I got the car it had what was left of a fawn interior. I like the fawn interior but with a goldwood exterior that had to go. Black with the yellow is the way I wanted to go.
The floors were all good, just some surface rust. I'm just amazed how rust free it was. After sanding down the floors I painted the foor/package area with POR-15. I then finished with semi flat black.
I used dynamat through out the interior.
All the metal panels where painted black as well. A color change in an interior is a pain in the ***.
The interior is a new factory reproduction from Clark's Corvair. I did the door panels, padded dash, and package area.
The seats were redone professionally. Blasted and painted frames and new buns. They did a great job on them. One thing I learned on this project is interior work isn't my thing. I get it done but it takes my along time and I don't get alot of joy out of it. Just tell myself the end result is worth it.
I replaced the original gauge panel with one from a Spyder and removed the radio. In its place I made a panel to house the volt, oil pressure, and temp gauges. Below the Spyder panel I made a faceplate out of aluminum for the headlight switch as well as a toggle for the driving lights. I had no trouble ditching the radio. I'd much rather listen to the shout of the pancake 6.
I added the Grant 15" 3 spoke wheel and a original Bill Thomas quick shift kit and quick steering arms.(2.5 turns lock to lock).
That's enough rambling for now and here's a picture of the interior just before it was finished. I still had kick panels and such to install.

 

The next topic- undercarriage and suspension
The under body and wheels wells were stripped of undercoat and sanded. All the wiring and linkage (shifter and throttle) were removed and rebuilt.
The fuel tank was removed and replaced along with new sending unit.
Front suspension and crossmember removed, blasted, repainted, and rebuilt with all new parts except for the springs that were blasted and repainted before ***embly.
The same was done with the rear, as well was new wheel bearing that I installed zerc fittings in before re***embly. KONI cl***ic adjustables were installed and a EELCO front sway bar.
The undercarriage and suspension were painted gloss black, and all the brackets and heater box were painted semi gloss. The wheel wells have had undercoat reapplied.
I ser the front suspension with .5 degrees neg camber and 4 degrees positive caster with a touch of toe in.
The rear has 1.5 degree neg camber, and shimmed for a touch of toe out.
The trans and engine mounts have been replaced as well.
The Monza is a blast to drive. There isn't a car built in America from 61 that handles as well.(including Corvette). Especially the way this one is set up.
I will finish with this. The Corvair isn't a numbers car, it's a drivers car. Just jump in and drive. The hard part is peeling the grin of your face.

 

Having built a few late model Corvairs for autocross, I needed to chime in and say... killer job! You have spec'ed out a perfect early setup in my eyes. Now go kill some corners!

 

Thanks Nostrebor, it's a blast to drive.
The only other suspension mod I my do is fab up some limiting straps for the rear. Not sure that is needed unless I was running autocross.

 

Really awesome. So fun to drive, and the later 65, 66 cars are one of my favorite cars and i'm a Ford guy.
Love the yellow too, reminds me of my 58 Vette. Panama Yellow w/white coves. Yup i am a fan of "Fans".

 

Nice car! Thanks for posting. I really like the yellow with the black interior. Great modifications too. Did you install the later "camber compensator" spring?
I experience that same smile every time I take my wife's '62 Monza out for a drive, and I haven't even got to messing with the suspension yet. They are just one of the most fun cars ever built. We have no plans to completely restore ours like you have, luckily ours is a rust free well preserved example, that's good enough for us. I did replace the engine with a '65 110 hp because the old 84 hp was dead. I do plan to rebuild the suspension in the future with upgrades but it's still performing well so no hurry. I have followed your same thought process, make changes like someone would have done in 1962-64. We have installed real vintage Minilites (made in England), we have the small wood rimmed steering wheel, coco mats, an under dash gauge panel, all waiting to be installed. The delay came because we entered her car in the Ironstone Vineyard Concourse as is and her car was really well received. They told us to bring it back with the stock wheels, tires and hubcaps so they could judge it. So we put off further modifications until after the next show.
Setup day.....

 

Thanks for the comments. Your car looks great and those minilites are sweet.
As far as a camber compensator, I'm not running one. I know alot of folks will tell you it's the way to go but I'm not a fan.
I feel if you run a little neg camber(1 to 3 degrees) and a performance set of dampers with wide base wheels the car will handle great. A front bar is more important in my opinion.
I haven't seen a EMPI camber compensator in years and the only other option would be to install a 64 rear suspension with the transverse leaf. This conversion is alot of work because you need the 64 transaxle or dif with the boss for the center mount of the leaf.
Many who race EM cars don't run the leaf or camber compensator. Limiting straps or springs are a better option. Thanks again for the comments and your car is sweet.

 

I thought I would talk a bit about my transaxle and clutch set up.
Many would wonder why I would run a Rampy 4spd and 3.27 gear set. I did this for multiple reasons. The Rampside trans has different ratios and spacing and the lower numerical gear set puts the motor under load, thus raising EGT witch builds boost quicker. This coupled with a hybrid turbo gives me boost starting a the top end of 1st gear instead of 3rd like the stock setup.
The flywheel is a Dale bolted setup with HP pressure plate and a 6 puck ceramic clutch disc.
The other benefit of the 3.27 gear set is lower RPM on the highway. The best of both worlds. Some Corvair turbo owners are running 3.08 gears with good results as well.

 

Thanks for your words. I would love to have a C1 vette someday. I need to win a lottery. A little rich for my blood.

 

Your comments about gear ratios is interesting. Our Monza is a PG and at first the lack of a 2-3 shift was as irritating as the engine RPM at highway speeds. Although we have gotten accustomed to both for the most part, it would be nice to be able to cruise with California traffic at a slightly lower engine speed. My long term plan is to rebuild our extra 110 hp engine with 140 heads, a big bore/stroker kit or maybe adapt some kind of small belt driven supercharger to it.

 

My wife daily drove a 65 convertible, with about 30 minutes at highway speeds. It had a very tired 110/pg, so I swapped in a fresh 64 102, 4 speed, and a 3.27. All thi into 15" wheels and 205/65s. The 102 makes better torque than the 110s, and the 3.27 really lets them step out on the freeway. Fantastic combo for a driver.

I ran a 140, 4 speed, and the lower ge****t in my 67 coupe. Her 102 would stay right with it on an autocross track.

I never played with a turbo car... could not abide the lag. That has all changed now, especially with the blow through builds. Sometimes I get the itch to build another.