Corvair motor question

[SB Lightning]

Hey guys,


I'm about to fix up an old dune buggy we had laying around our ranc . I Dont know much about it except that its got a corvair engine. From my understanding the previous owner put a different carb/internal components on it and it never ran correctly so they just parked it in the barn. My question is, how do I identify the engine size and find the correct carb for that engine?

[bbodie52]

I would recommend posting some detailed photographs of the engine from different angles. The pictures may produce some valuable observations. Detailed pictures of the custom carburetor arrangement may also be useful.

The engine serial number and cylinder head casting numbers are the most reliable in identifying the engine. Other items such as alternator vs. generator, cooling fan design, crankshaft pulley, and distributor can all be useful clues, but these are bolt-on items that are easily changed.

Crankshaft Pulley Design...


Cooling Fan Design...


Distributor Design...

1960-1961 Engines had an early distributor design with a clip-on distributor cap. 1962 and later engines had a new design with the centrifugal advance weights under the breaker plate and a screw-on distributor cap.

Cylinder Head Casting Numbers...

Left-click the image to enlarge for better viewing...

Engine Serial Number...

Located to the right of the generator/alternator. Between the oil filter adaptor and the top engine shroud.




The last two letters provide some clue of the original engine setup. Unfortunately many suffix codes were found over a wide range of model years, and the serial number only indicates the month and date of manufacture — not the year. (The "T" at the beginning indicates the manufacturing plant. It is always "T" on Corvair engines and it stands for Tonawanda, NY).

The attached CORSA Corvair Technical Guide 1+2 - Corvair Code Numbers will provide you with a breakdown of engine suffix codes.

[SB Lightning]

Wow thank you! I'll try and snap some pictures soon. It was fairly common to use these engines in buggies?

[krimepays]

Yeah they used them for a while as a higher horsepower alternative to VW.