New guy from PA first Corvair

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MikesMonza900
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:29 am

Re: New guy from PA first Corvair

Post by MikesMonza900 »

I'll keep you guys posted. It's usually the second week in July.
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Trip
Posts: 940
Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 5:59 pm
Location: Lake Ariel, PA

Re: New guy from PA first Corvair

Post by Trip »

Mike, Just as an aside don't be overly worried about the fan swap. With a steel fan, adjusting the belt to slip is more critical and I'm sure the belt gets more wear faster but my wife and I have driven many, many miles and a fair number of long trips with a steel cooling fan without any problems at all. I'm not saying it isn't a worthwhile mod, just don't feel like it's a ticking time bomb. =D

Also on that note, even many Corvair enthusiasts are unaware that Ralph Nader's claims about Corvair handling are purely fictional. The only handling issues they have are as follows: (Note: These are only my correct opinions!) =P I know that for the first few years I was into Corvairs I was lead to believe that the early model (swing axle) cars did have a significant handling defect, this is not true.

Spinning out / oversteer: All rear engine cars have more tendency to want to spin out, however the Corvair drifts beautifully which I think is why racing is so popular with the Corvair crowd. I think spinning out is something that would only ever happen in extreme circumstances or in the hands of an inexperienced driver.

Poor handling with over-inflated front tires: Tire pressure is pretty critical in Corvairs. If the front tires are overinflated the car doesn't want to go straight and requires excessive small steering corrections. I personally run my (radial) front tires at about 18-20 PSI and my rears at about 32 and get excellent tire wear patterns.

YMMV

Interestingly the swing-axle rear suspension that many think causes Corvairs to roll over (they have no such tendency whatsoever) actually contributes to preventing rollovers. When cornering very hard the inside swing axle drops down which creates huge amounts of camber. This reduces the tire contact patch and therefore total traction at the back end and causes the back end of the car to slide out (in a drift) rather than have the car roll over.
Ray "Trip" Rodriguez III
Gouldsboro, PA
66 Corsa 140 coupe
65 Corsa 180 Turbocharged coupe
64 Monza Convertible
61 Air conditioned Monza coupe (Missy's)
See them here: https://tinyurl.com/ydc7txrf
MikesMonza900
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:29 am

Re: New guy from PA first Corvair

Post by MikesMonza900 »

We may get to the fan over the winter or we may not. Depends a lot on how the body work goes and of course the budget. Right now I'm more worried about making sure all systems are 100% and making the repairs on the body. After that will be the upgrades! :chevy: Although the wife wants a radio so she can play her ipod. So looks like I'll be looking for a radio mount and a factory looking radio from Custom Auto Sound. LOL

We actually feel like our Corvair handles great! I mean I am really impressed with it. I've even driven my friends 63 Corvair Van and that drives and handles nice also! Ralph Nader was just on a witch hunt paid off by other car companies in my opinion. :my02: :chevy:
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Allan Lacki
Posts: 753
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 3:06 pm

Re: New guy from PA first Corvair

Post by Allan Lacki »

Hi MikesMonza900,

Welcome to the Corvair hobby! You have a couple of active chapters of the Corvair Society of America not too far from where you live. One is the Lehigh Valley Corvair Club (LVCC), which meets in Allentown, PA. Another is the New Jersey Assoc. of Corvair Enthusiasts (NJACE), which meets in Parsippany, NJ. Both clubs are active.

LVCC has regular monthly meetings where we discuss anything Corvair related. A bunch of the guys are extremely knowledgeable about Corvair repair and maintenance. NJACE has regular meetings too, and tech sessions where the guys and gals get together to work on their Corvairs. Here are links to their websites.

http://www.corvair.org/chapters/lvcc/
http://www.corvair.org/chapters/njace/
MikesMonza900
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:29 am

Re: New guy from PA first Corvair

Post by MikesMonza900 »

Allan Lacki wrote: Sat Oct 14, 2017 2:19 pm Hi MikesMonza900,

Welcome to the Corvair hobby! You have a couple of active chapters of the Corvair Society of America not too far from where you live. One is the Lehigh Valley Corvair Club (LVCC), which meets in Allentown, PA. Another is the New Jersey Assoc. of Corvair Enthusiasts (NJACE), which meets in Parsippany, NJ. Both clubs are active.

LVCC has regular monthly meetings where we discuss anything Corvair related. A bunch of the guys are extremely knowledgeable about Corvair repair and maintenance. NJACE has regular meetings too, and tech sessions where the guys and gals get together to work on their Corvairs. Here are links to their websites.

http://www.corvair.org/chapters/lvcc/
http://www.corvair.org/chapters/njace/
Thank you so much for letting me know! I was wondering if there was anything close to me! That's very good to know.
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