First test drive / first impressions

[firstgencamarojunkie]

So excited, just got home from my first test drive / been 2 years in the making. Went to AAA today, got 'er registered and insured, then "forgot" to go back to work so I could give her a proper shakedown.

First - I want to thank everyone over the last two years for help with various issues - really helped in learning what was important, when to do it in relation to the rest of the build, and how to do it (thanks Dave Motohead!)

Even though I've always wanted a Corvair - I've never driven one or even had a ride in one. About two years ago I had the opportunity to buy one. The car is a '65 Corsa Turbo, some of the things I've done to it are:

Rebuild carb;
Rebuild front end;
Rebuild rear end;
Remove engine and tranny to replace seals and fix a spark plug insert that pulled out;
Replaced a lot of wiring;
Electric fuel pump and choke;
New HD springs front and read;
New HD shocks;
Corbeau seats reupholstered to match the paint;
Rebuilt the shift linkage with new bushings (Dave Motohead again, thanks!)
Rebuilt brakes and convert to dual cyl master unit;
New brake lines;
Rebuilt rear torque arms;
New bushings all around..

and on and on....

Now, first impressions. The car is QUIET! Must be the unibody construction - my Camaro rattles down the street - but I noticed that the Corvair really sounds and FEELS solid. It has a lot of get up and go! I'm still learning how best to shift the 4-speed, but, like the giddy-up. The car HANDLES. Took it on a couple of roads and really hugs the turns. I didn't push it too hard as I still need to have it aligned.

Now, the down side. I believe I definitely heard some pinging coming from the engine under hard accelerations - and - from this forum I knew to immediately back off to avoid damage. If my marks are correct, I've set it to 24 degrees timing at idle w/ the vacuum hose removed. I suppose I'll need to test the pressure retard for proper operation - how do I do that?

I'm in the southern california area (North San Diego) and hope to take it up to the show in Orange County this September.

Andy.

[cad-kid]

Congrats on your first drive

For shifting the 4 speed - after mine is warmed up I wind it out more so than a modern car - holding the rpms up higher even if it's an easy acceleration. Corvair's are not luggers- for an example with my rear end ratio/tire size I keep it in third cruising 35mph- it kind of sounds a bit high compared to a modern car but there is a bigger gap between third and fourth than second and third (at least that's how it feels to me). Also keeping the rpms higher helps cool the engine.

One thing I noticed is when other people drive my car for the first time they shift too soon for my taste. Opinions will differ

[b74eqcm]

Woo Hoo! Assuming the pressure retard is working properly, two things will make it ping. First, always buy premium gas, and if it still pings, retard initial timing until pinging is gone.

Jim

[notched]

On a turbo Corvair (stock 329 distributor) it really isn't good to keep retarding the initial timing until the pinging goes away because whatever your initial is what you will have until 3900 rpms when the centrifugal advance kicks in. You are also taking out from your total advance as well. The stock Corvair distributor does not have any vacuum advance at low/part throttle.
To check the boost retard you can use a regulated air line from a shop compressor.

[xrotaryguy]

What spark plugs are you using. I used the plugs that the auto parts store recommended and my truck pinged. I had the guy look up some Bosch plugs for a VW and the pinging went away.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Corvair Forum mobile app

[TexasUK]

Have you got the plug name/numbers please?

[firstgencamarojunkie]

I used the AC 44F plugs - Andy.