Corvair Forum

Doing final assy on my 65 140, put oil in engine (on engine stand) spun up distributor to check for oil pressure 45lbs and leaks. Using orig oil pan straight and bolt holes straightened, and neopreme gasket, started leaking at front of pan on both sides. Never been a problem before, even with new o...

A few of us Corvair folks were talking about the possibility of converting a Corvair to an electric vehicle. Yeah I know this seems unacceptable to some, but I'd rather see a Corvair converted to EV than go to the scrap yard. Coincidentally I'm looking for a new car and decided an EV just isn't prac...

I just took another quick look (in the rain here in Boston) and the metal still feels very solid, it just doesn't look as "finished" as its opposite number on the passenger side. Hopefully I'll find the time tomorrow to mount the dampers and really tell. You never know what someone did to...

The original Corvair head gaskets are steel that compress. They are still made. Some like the aftermarket copper gaskets. I've heard pluses and minuses for each. One thing about the copper gaskets is you can get them in different thicknesses to compensate for head machining. You should not re-use th...

Clark's list that panel c9161, but it is out of stock (most likely forever). It was a popular item along with the battery tray that are usually rusted out. On the convertible the tray has extra material to support the welded nuts the damper bolts go into. I'd get up under the car and examine it. If ...

Pushrod seals DON'T require untorquing the heads. You do one cylinder at a time and only remove (loosen) the lower bolts. Dennis Thanks for that. I've seen both on You Tube. Some guys insist on loosening and re-torquing all the nuts/bolts in factory order. I'd rather not if it's not necessary. I ag...

6203 bearings are easy to buy and install. Fit most all GM alternators up into the 90s. They also fit most of the generators! You can choose the quality level you want, instead of letting others decide for you. The OPE (opposite pully end) or commutator end bearing for these GM alternators is MNJ47...

I recall the Stinger distributor used a low impedance coil, similar to the HEI 0.6 ohms and as Frank said the basic DMM is not accurate at that value. Seth E. sold them for awhile until EVERYONE was selling them on ebay. I think Seth put out a memo saying to use a higher impedance coil since the Sti...

I agree with Craig, replace the harness if it has more than two melted wires. I've been working on car wiring as a hobby for decades. Occasionally I'll go help a club member and find a disaster and tell the owner they will be further ahead to install a new harness. NOW --- that new harness will have...

Canada Corvairs were different and it's been documented the Los Angeles built cars were different. One thing I recall is the L.A. cars had a different color trunk paint compared to Willow run. My 66 four door had hinges AND bolts painted body color. The trunk latch on the lid was body color, the mec...

I wonder if there is anything in the Shop Manual, Fisher Body Manual, or the factory Assembly Manual.

I suspect if the factory Assembly Manual does not state what position the handle goes on, then the factory workers did whatever was convenient for them.

No problem. Yet you wouldn't believe the people who want to take out safety stuff because "it could become a problem". I think back to my younger, more stupid self and how many seat belts I removed from cars (got bounced from driver side to passenger side of my '67 500 when it got totalle...

Welcome to the oddity of incandescent lighting with tungsten filaments. Tungsten has a lower resistance when cold, so it pulls more current at startup than operating. This is why they used to burn out more on turn on than while they were lit. So the colder (darker in this case) you run an incandesc...

If you want to get "all fancy" and measure the actual drain, be aware that this test is the absolute fastest way to fry an ammeter. Required time to fry is under 0.1 seconds; maybe closer to 0.01 seconds. The best way is to obtain a 1-ohm resistor (10 or 20 watt rating), put some clips on...

A couple of years ago my AAA membership sent out a notice that the new cars have so many "parasitic" electrical items that folks would go on vacation with the car parked at the airport and 2-3 weeks later they would return and find a discharged battery and the car would not start. Of cours...

I know this is a "touchy" subject so take it as just what I've learned and what works for me. Feel free to do your own thing. If you are not going racing or driving in extreme cold or hot, the 10W30 works well in the Corvair engine. About ZDDP - After reading Richard Widmark's oil comments...