I came home from the Turlock swap meet with this little bit of inspiration. A smokin deal and I think it’ll work great. I’ve got a pretty clear idea of how to do it. More parts gathering fun….
bchctybob, that will be pretty simple to pull off. I wish I was closer to you, I'd love to help build that.
By any chance do you remember how they raised the suspension? Every time I talk about doing that, people tell me "swing-axle Corvairs are dangerous enough as it is!"
I think it was just station wagon springs all around and liberal lightening of the car (removing 4 doors will do it). We sawed out the wheel openings and put big tires on it too, so it gained "rubber height". It was ugly but lots of fun.
I’m interested in purchasing a corvair. Is there a desired year? I know in 1965 the front end was redesigned. Are the engines as easy to work on as I have been told? Lastly, is there anything I should look for before I purchase one? Thanks for the help.
There are two distinct Corvair families, 1960-64 and 1965-69 so you need to decide which body style you prefer. The later ones tend to cost more. In the early body style, the ‘64 was the peak of development in both performance and style. They had the infamous swing-axle type rear suspension similar to Volkswagens. The ‘60-‘61 versions had a very plain Jane economy car look but they soon were upgraded and became very sporty. The ‘60-‘64 cars also had the smaller 145 cu. in. engine that topped out at 150 hp with the turbo charger. The cars with the 4 spd are definitely peppier than those with the Powerglide automatic. The later version, 1965-69 got a little prettier and had true independent rear suspension much like a Corvette. They enlarged the engine to 164 cu. in. and topped out at 180 hp, turbocharged. They have a stronger 4 spd transmission and they also have 5 lug wheels that makes for a better selection of aftermarket wheels. They did make some plain economy models but most were nice sporty models with bucket seats and nice trim. Both styles are a blast to drive. They are better with a 4 spd, in my opinion, much peppier and sportier. They are unibody cars so avoid cars with rust in the floors and ch***is. The engines and transmissions drop out the bottom with just a few bolts. They are very different from other cars but not at all hard to work on once you get used to the configuration. Buy the best one you can afford, for the most part they aren’t very expensive.
There is a lot to learn, but basically by late '64 they had the "unsafe" rear suspension elements fixed, or at least significantly improved upon, so up to you on what you prefer. https://corvaircenter.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=11 https://corvairforum.com/forum/ https://ssl.corvair.com/user-cgi/pages.cgi
Always liked Corvairs, they seemed to be a car that you either loved or hated with no in between. When I was stationed at Ft. Hood in the mid 80’s there were literally dozens of Corvairs in the salvage yards, I suspect that had to do with the Texas heat and the cars being mid-engined but I could be wrong. I recall seeing a silver turbo Corvair, missing nothing, just sitting there waiting for someone to resurrect it. Jusy last year I noticed a building in Hastings NE that had at least 10-20 Corvairs in the parking lot so its good to see interest in them is still there. A guy only has time for so many hot rods, but I always figured a Corvair with a hot mid-engined 406 sbc would be a fun ride.
My V8 Corvair album became missing in action so I am building a new album. 65 Coupe, 355 SBC with a Holley Sniper, a TH425 transaxle…. Small Block Chevy under gl***
Chevy tarted up those early Turbo Spyder engines a bit. Chrome intake manifold , air filter and fuel lines.
I decided I needed to do something new to the Corvair. I have been running a 3:07 posi final drive. Yesterday I called a place , Applied GMC in Cerritos Ca. I pulled the plug and bought a 4:10 posi unit. So much for a highway driver I guess. I’m thinking it might have been the gummies Here is a quick little ride with the 3:07 gears
Hello, My wife and I were driving around and out of the corner of my eye, something red/orange stood out. So, after she spotted the bright orange paint, we pulled over to check out what was in the parking lot. The bright orange paint was pristine and drew plenty of stares and while we were looking, two other folks stopped to take a look. It was for sale. A pristine Corvair window van in all of its old time glory called for us to stop and look. Since it was near an In and Out drive-in place, it was a great place to get tons of views of this pristine Corvair Van. It was not fancy with custom wheels and such, but a nice looking, stock appearing window van, just sitting in the lot. The For Sale signs were not apparent as folks drove by. But, it was for sale. My wife and I thought about getting a van or larger station wagon for outdoor coastal adventures, whether day tripping or camping. So, this Corvair Van appealed to us. The cl***ic style was nice and if it were not painted a bright orange, would draw the eye of an old hot rod couple, but not the paint that made folks turn their heads. It was one of those things that happens when both of us liked what we saw. So, we stopped to check out the whole window van. There would not be any blind spots as it has a full set of windows and a super large outside mirror that was appropriate back in those “surf van” days. Jnaki Sorry for the pole, but this was taken from inside of a moving station wagon, in heavy traffic by my wife. Point and shoot like the old Kodak Brownie days… The only problem I saw was, as nice as it looked outside and inside, the lack of horsepower stock was a factor. The stock model could have been an 85 hp motor, but if it had the next level up motor, perhaps a 95 hp motor. 95 hp may be fine on level streets, but if one lives up in the hills and goes to the local mountains for short term vacations stays, it will not do well. Struggling with the extra weight of the built in creature comforts would override any HP advantage. Remembering my own 80 hp flathead motor in my 40 sedan delivery and the problems going up the coastal highway steep sloping climbs, even 95 hp would not work well. For daily lever streets, 95 hp may work, but we also like to go up into the local mountains for a different look at the So Cal landscape. YRMV Note: My wife saw this bright orange Corvair Greenbrier van and was amazed at the condition. We pulled over and I took a few photos. A nice looking young lady was also looking at the van and asked if I was going to buy it. What? Us buying a Corvair van after owning a 1962 Corvair coupe? Ha, that was a good one. I am pretty sure this small stature youngish 30 something woman/girl was going to buy it. She was looking at it with a ton of soul searching and detail appraisal. I said we were thinking of a possible buy, since we like vans in great condition… So, with that notion in her head, she hurried off to her car with a cellphone to her ear. Ha! I probably sold the Corvair Van on the spot!!! The lady’s shadow + “we all like a nice rear end…” But, in looking at the pristine van, it would be a nice coastal cruiser for our road trips and days spent at the beaches. Inside when it gets hot and a nice breeze blows into the open seating area in the back. Wow, that would be a great place to sit next to the waves or down at the harbor and draw another old hot rod or write a few stories for our granddaughter’s memory book.
I’ve posted some pics of my 65 Corvair with a SBC on a TH425. If you have never seen a Toro conversion from below, today is your day. I had already removed the control arm bracket. The control arms are still hanging on the trailing arms…..anyway, the pumpkin shaped piece is the entire final drive. You can see the p***enger side axle goes through a tunnel in the oil pan. Not great but no other choice. You do get a good look at the drivers side axle. All 10 5/16 inches long on each side. There are 2 locks on the axle. One has splines inside that keep the axle in place. The second long squeezes the u joint flange onto the axle. Change is on the way
Not really sure. They built this transaxle from a TH400. GM went on and built a TH355 from a TH350 for the lighter front wheel drive cars.
It took two of us to manhandle the old final drive out and put the new 4:10 Posi unit in. let’s review SBC 500 lbs TH425. 450 lbs Car before work 2150 lbs 900 lbs directly on top of the rear wheels Maybe I didn’t think this through I need to update my Will
The Jalopy Journal
