64 Monza with a PG

[Imnvegas]

I am thinking about converting my auto to a 4-speed manual. I know it is feasible but is it prudent? I do prefer a manual tranny. One reason is that my corvair is kinda sluggish with the little 2 speed auto. I think I would enjoy the manual and get a bit better performance.

My question is this -

How difficult would the change be and what do I need in the way of parts? Can I buy the individual parts (tranny, clutch, pedals, etc...) or do I need to find a donor car for the parts.....I am not a mechanic and would have someone do it while I learn and fetch the beer.

[bbodie52]

I have not tackled such a project on any of my past Corvairs, so I cannot write anything from experience. But if I were going to plan such a project, I would start by looking over the shop manuals just to review the differences between the automatic and manual transmission cars. Since Corvairs in auto junk yards are pretty-much non-existent, I would start by contacting a specialized junkyard -- The Corvair Ranch in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I suspect they just might have had similar requests before, and can probably advise you so that you can prepare a list of materials and begin to form a budget estimate needed for the project. Some items, such as the clutch pressure plate, clutch disc, flywheel, pilot bushing and throwout bearing should probably be purchased new from a source like Clark's Corvair Parts. (A phone call to them could also be a second source of information and prices, as they may also have some good used parts). A complete manual transmission and differential (transaxle) might be better than trying to convert your old differential to accept a manual transmission.

Here are some links that should be helpful...

Corvair Ranch, Inc. http://www.corvairranch.com/
Parts and Advice

Clark's Corvair Parts http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/pages.cgi
Parts and Advice

Corvair Tech Pages Index http://1969corvair.com/techpages/Corvai ... Index.html
Downloadable Shop Manuals and other Technical guides.

Early Corvair Manuals, Body Manuals, Carburetor Manuals, etc.
http://www.corvair.org/chapters/corvanatics/manuals.php

CORSA Chapter Locator
You might be able to locate and join a local active Corvair club. Getting involved with some local Corvair aficionados and hobbiests could provide you with local help to get the job done.
https://www.corvair.org/index.php?optio ... wCount=100

[Bobby65]

i would just find a parts car with a 4 spd its so much easier, and that way you know you have everything

[Imnvegas]

Thanks

I forgot about the Corvair Ranch.

[bbodie52]

i would just find a parts car with a 4 spd its so much easier, and that way you know you have everything

As I suggested, Corvair Ranch is a good source for used parts. But you need a lot of little things to convert from an automatic transmission to a manual transmission. The clutch and shift linkages make the conversion complicated. The recommendation about locating a Corvair "rustbucket" with a poor body but a solid powertrain might prove more economical. You can remove all of the parts needed for the shift linkage and clutch, and use the original car as a "model", or template to guide you with the modifications to your other Corvair. Sometimes buying a Corvair in poor cosmetic condition (if you can locate one) to strip as a parts car is cheaper than buying all of the needed individual components from an organization like Corvair Ranch. When you consider the shipping costs to have a heavy transaxle and some other bulky components shipped to you, the overall project costs go up significantly. Also, some new clutch components you will need may have "core charges", and a parts car can provide you with old core components that you can trade-in to recover those core charges. Remaining parts, like an engine and other valuable pieces can possibly be sold to recover more cash to offset the cost of modifying your Corvair. After you have stripped the parts car of all valuables, the greatest hassle is transporting it to a scrap yard for salvage scrap metal. But I would take this advice and see if you can locate a 1961 - 1964 Corvair parts car with 4-speed manual transmission that is within reasonable distance from you. Of course, the cost of renting a suitable trailer to bring it home would add to your total costs, but you would be reducing the shipping costs needed to obtain parts from the Corvair Ranch. Good luck, if you decide to pursue this project.

One more thing... if you do go ahead with this it might be desirable for you to photograph and document the entire conversion process. You could start a thread here on the Corvair Forum to show what was involved, problems you ran into and how they were solved, costs involved, etc. That detailed information could be very useful to other Corvair owners who might consider a similar modification to their own cars.

[bbodie52]

Anybody considering converting from an automatic transmission to a manual transmission should check out the following Corvair Forum thread:

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=4378

There is a good description of the process there for doing this conversion in a Late Model (LM) 1965 or later Corvair. Although those comments specify experience with a LM Corvair, most of those same comments could be applied to an Early Model Corvair too.

The post there provides a great detailed outline of the conversion process. Definitely recommended reading!

[indianalakewood1961]

Love the color...

[azdave]

Not that simple. Here's some info from CorvairCenter.

Pay attention to the notch you will have to cut into the rear crossmember. I would suggest (as many do) to find a donor car to be sure you get all of the parts in one stop.

http://corvaircenter.com/phorum/read.ph ... 029,page=1