I need help understanding the engine

[Corvair_man]

First time using this website. What you are looking at is a 1960 corvair 700 engine bay it has an automatic transmission in it. I know nothing about it, my dad bought it and parked it he never tried to get the engine running or fixing it. I started messing with it about maybe 2 years ago? My main question is the rochester carburetors rare because I was couldn't figure out but I'm taking a guess it is? Someone in the past replaced the left carburetor with a later model that isn't a rochester carburetor. They took out the choke on the left carburetor and installed it and never hooked up to the throttle linkage. I was going to add a video to this post but I couldn't. It was a 3:52 minute long video of me going over the engine. Oh I almost forgot there is an vacuum hose missing if you look at the air intake you can see that nub sticking out that has tape over it? We're dose that vacuum hose go to? The engine spins but the only thing we have to do is put gas in it and see what happens. My dad doesn't want to use the gas tank so we have to jery rig it from the fuel pump to a gascan but we don't have a hoses to make it work. There might be other stuff I'm forgetting about but I'm not sure if there is any?

[cnicol]

Welcome! You're in the right place; there are many knowledgeable Corvair people here.

FYI, Rather than write a novel, I prefer to be brief and have a conversation; that's just my style.

Your '60 engine has many unique features not found on other years of Corvair engines. This includes the carburetor and choke mechanisms. 60 Carburetors do not have built-in chokes but rather a central choke mechanism under the air cleaner. For the time being, you can ignore the choke.

The "vacuum" line taped over on your air cleaner is the fresh air supply for the choke. You can ignore it for the time being but FYI, this pipe goes to a steel tube at the right rear corner of the engine. That pipe carries through the exhaust manifold and comes out at the RF corner of the engine and that now-heated air goes onto the choke mechanism. Since this is a one-year setup, not many know about how it works.

You'll want to check for spark before spending much time cranking it too much. It's very likely the points need a little cleaning before they will make the reliable electrical connection needed for spark. I wouldn't worry about the mis-matched carburetors at this time. They won't affect trail operation. Be aware that you'll want to remove the top shroud and clean the fins through to the underside before much running; they're usually covered or plugged with mouse debris.

[Corvair_man]

I will have to look at the car later but is that fabric hose factory or after market because the one on the car is metal?

[66vairguy]

Good advice from Craig. So many changes were made after the 1960 models they are considered unique. Many value the 1960 cars because they are so different from other Corvairs.

Trying to start an old engine by just getting new fuel to the carburetors might result in avoidable damage to the engine. I NEVER try to start an old engine until I do a thorough inspection. I always drain the engine oil and drop the oil pan to see if there are any surprises like broken parts. Carburetors and fuel lines are inspected for debris or corrosion. The Rochester carburetors were literally changed EVERY model year. You can buy Bob Helt's Corvair Rochester carburetor book from a number of Corvair vendors.

After decades of neglect you may find all kinds of debris packed around the engine by "critters". I pull the spark plugs to see what they indicate.

Inspect the ignition components, etc.

Good luck with the car and see you have a Corvair club in your area.

[RexJohnson]

That fabric is insulation to hold the heat in to warm up the choke. For now as was said keep that fitting on the air cleaner plug because that is the clean side of the air filter and you don't want dirt entering there.

[Dennis66]

The "fabric" might be ASBESTOS. Yeah, that one isn't supposed to have choke plates in the individual carbs. If you decide to do your carbs, first check throttle plate for being sloppy (up - down). I also strongly suggest Bob Helt's carb book. Dennis

[sethracer]

For the first-time Corvair mechanic, the Corvair Basics book may be a real help. Join Corsa and you get the book with your joining membership. Lots of good info from the knowledgeable Corvair folks. Check with Corsa for membership info at "www.corvair.org" -

[American Mel]

Before you even try to do anything, clean out that engine compartment!
As a couple have already stated, there is an extremely high probability that there are more piles of crap under the engine tins.
Remove the top engine tin and clean that mess out, or you will cook your engine.
While you have all of that stuff off the engine, you can paint it.
Dis-assembling the air-cleaner assembly will help you understand how your choke works also.
Take lots of pictures, and ask lots of questions.
Craig(cnicols), and RexJohnson are two guys who I can vouch for as being thoroughly qualified to head you down a straight path.
In the event that two people disagree about anything Corvair, I WILL ALWAYS place my money on Rex's information.
We also have a couple of extremely verbose authors here on the forum who reply to every thread, but they usually have good info to offer too.
(if you don't fall asleep reading epics.)
.
Lastly, tell us where you are.
At least what region of the country/world.
There may be help just down the road from you.

[jimbrandberg]

I don't like the sound of someone putting a non-Corvair carburetor on one side. Is it possible it's a 60 carburetor and the other side is a later year? The '60 carburetor looks a little weird compared to '61 and later because there's no choke and the top is round for the hose to the air cleaner to go on.
I never thought I'd want a '60 but now I have 2 of them and driving one daily.
Jim Brandberg
Isanti, MN
CorvairRepair.com

[OldnSlow]

I am new to Corvairs but not new to making things work, I would second Mel's advice. Grab your shopvac, and a cheap detailing brush, (never leave home without it) and clear that thing out. Smack that brush all over the place and have your shopvac hose following it everywhere. Air cooled engines are very sensitive to any blockages, debris, and buildup. I am a raging nerd for clean, but on my build page "oldnslow" I am going to post a 30 second video of me using a cheap ($20 at hobo freight) gravity feed paint gun filled with Wax and Grease remover from my local auto paint supply store to shoot the engine compartment at about 60 psi on the paint gun and clean the compartment with that and a detailing brush to agitate things in there. It's not a magic bullet, but it does a reasonable job cleaning off the big pieces so that you can work in a decently clean environment.

Cheers to an awesome car!
Tony

[Corvair_man]

I don't like the sound of someone putting a non-Corvair carburetor on one side. Is it possible it's a 60 carburetor and the other side is a later year? The '60 carburetor looks a little weird compared to '61 and later because there's no choke and the top is round for the hose to the air cleaner to go on.
I never thought I'd want a '60 but now I have 2 of them and driving one daily.
Jim Brandberg
Isanti, MN
CorvairRepair.com
DSCN3292 (800x600).jpg

Yes the left carburetor is from a later model because we have another corvair that is a later model that has the same carburetor that's on the 60 model. I don't know what year is the other corvair? The other corvair isn't worth fixing. The 60 model just needs some wiring done, fix and put back together the furnace/heater, floor pan, fluids and I think that's what the car needs so far

[RexJohnson]

I would clean off the top to make it nicer to work on. Then I would pull the dist to prime up the oil system. After that I would try to make it run. Now if you found a problem coming up to this point then I would stop and deal with it. A Corvair engine can idle for quite a while with little to no air flow so you can run it for 10 to 15 minutes to see if it is good or bad. If things look good then I would take the top shroud off and clean out the cooling fins. When I get ahead of myself is when Mr. Murphy comes to visit. If you clean the fins before running it there will probably be a problem and then you will have to take it all apart again.

[Dennis66]

I agree with Rex. Carefully mark or take pictures, remove the distributor, get a 12'', preferably round shank straight slot screwdriver, cut the handle off, first hand feed it down into the distributor hole to feel when and how it fits into the oil pump slot. When you're comfortable with that, chuck it in a drill (clockwise rotation), make sure there is oil in the crankcase and spin it up to build oil pressure. Here's the kicker: because you have a '60 (other EMs too) there isn't an oil pressure switch or plug on top where it's easy to access or replace with a gauge. Solution (easy) crack the bolt on top of the oil filter housing so a little oil can leak out when it pressurizes.
While you have the distributor out is a good time to check if it will fire spark. You can hook the wires back up, hook a ground jumper from a ground to the distributor housing, either put a plug in the cap end of the coil wire or clamp it near a ground and spin the distributor shaft. If it fires spark, you're good. If not, check that you actually do have 12 volts going to coil, and maybe try cleaning the points. If it fires spark, put the distributor back in as you found it (you will find it doesn't seat all the way because the oil pump drive isn't lined up, set it in place and when you bump the starter it will align and drop in. Then clamp it down, dribble a little gas in the carbs (< 1ounce) and see if it fires. HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER HANDY WHEN DOING THIS. Dennis

[RexJohnson]

I believe that all of the generator adapters have a pipe plug where an oil pressure switch can go. The drill will tell you when you have oil pressure because it will start to work really hard.

[Corvair_man]

Welcome! You're in the right place; there are many knowledgeable Corvair people here.

FYI, Rather than write a novel, I prefer to be brief and have a conversation; that's just my style.

Your '60 engine has many unique features not found on other years of Corvair engines. This includes the carburetor and choke mechanisms. 60 Carburetors do not have built-in chokes but rather a central choke mechanism under the air cleaner. For the time being, you can ignore the choke.
DSCF4270.JPG

The "vacuum" line taped over on your air cleaner is the fresh air supply for the choke. You can ignore it for the time being but FYI, this pipe goes to a steel tube at the right rear corner of the engine. That pipe carries through the exhaust manifold and comes out at the RF corner of the engine and that now-heated air goes onto the choke mechanism. Since this is a one-year setup, not many know about how it works.
60 choke 1.jpg

You'll want to check for spark before spending much time cranking it too much. It's very likely the points need a little cleaning before they will make the reliable electrical connection needed for spark. I wouldn't worry about the mis-matched carburetors at this time. They won't affect trail operation. Be aware that you'll want to remove the top shroud and clean the fins through to the underside before much running; they're usually covered or plugged with mouse debris.
64 GB comes home 014 (Small).jpg

Where on the choke?

[Corvair_man]

Welcome! You're in the right place; there are many knowledgeable Corvair people here.

FYI, Rather than write a novel, I prefer to be brief and have a conversation; that's just my style.

Your '60 engine has many unique features not found on other years of Corvair engines. This includes the carburetor and choke mechanisms. 60 Carburetors do not have built-in chokes but rather a central choke mechanism under the air cleaner. For the time being, you can ignore the choke.
DSCF4270.JPG

The "vacuum" line taped over on your air cleaner is the fresh air supply for the choke. You can ignore it for the time being but FYI, this pipe goes to a steel tube at the right rear corner of the engine. That pipe carries through the exhaust manifold and comes out at the RF corner of the engine and that now-heated air goes onto the choke mechanism. Since this is a one-year setup, not many know about how it works.
60 choke 1.jpg

You'll want to check for spark before spending much time cranking it too much. It's very likely the points need a little cleaning before they will make the reliable electrical connection needed for spark. I wouldn't worry about the mis-matched carburetors at this time. They won't affect trail operation. Be aware that you'll want to remove the top shroud and clean the fins through to the underside before much running; they're usually covered or plugged with mouse debris.
64 GB comes home 014 (Small).jpg

Where on the choke? I don't see it?