Custom engine build

[Phayes85]

I have skimmed over the threads looking for an engine build similar to what I want to do but have not found anything, I may be wrong. I would like to use 140 manifolds with 3 barrel webers, Offenhauser valve covers, Offenhauser oil pan, roller rockers, magnesium fan, headers straight to glass packs, and well I dont know since I have not built one before. I have the valve covers and oil pan. I currently have a 64' 110 pg and dont know if that is a good base to start with. I would like some performance but want something aesthetically appealing to me.

First are all engine blocks the same for 110, 140s, and turbos? I read a thread that stated the blocks were cast and should be milled? or cleaned up? Not sure exactly what I mean to say.

Trust me I know I sound like an idiot right now.

Cyclinder heads (barrels) .60 .40 are a larger bore better and once again does it matter em or lm cylinders?

Push rods, I saw Clarks has hd push rods, guessing probably better for this application.

Oil Cooler, should I purchase an aftermarket oil cooler? Any suggestions? I live in sunny socal so it gets hot.

I know I probably left out alot, just dont know what. Well I hope someone jumps on and writes me a shopping list that would be great, not really getting my hopes up. I would appreciate any input.

Thanks

[Scott V]

I would like to use 140 manifolds with 3 barrel webers

First are all engine blocks the same for 110, 140s, and turbos? I read a thread that stated the blocks were cast and should be milled? or cleaned up? Not sure exactly what I mean to say.

the 3 barrel webers are going to move you to the big guys engine build. before anything else you need to figure out how much $$ you want to spend on the engine. start there. once you know how much $$ you are going to put into the engine then you & your engine builder can talk about what combo of parts will get the best engine for what you want.

all 110/140/180 engine blocks are the same.

your in sunny so cal - your lucky - theres a real good hi-po engine guy are there. take a look @ http://www.american-pi.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-Scott V.

[Wyvern]

I agree with Scott V. Determine what your budget will be and then talk with an expert and develop a plan. If you just put 3-barrels on the engine without a lot of other work that should be done, you'll probably be disappointed with the "bang for the buck" factor. Corvair engines need a balanced approach to modification, and you'll be much happier with an expert's advice and a game plan before you start.

That being said, I would not consider individual runner intakes without slant-tube exhausts, which necessitates special headers, and if you're doing that, you might as well have the heads deep-seated and ported, and install a camshaft to take advantage of all the new-found head flow, and ...

It all starts with budget, and being prepared to spend more after that. The two rules that I've found when working on my car are:

1. It takes longer.

2. It costs more.

James

P.S. It's incredibly rewarding.

[Phayes85]

Thanks Scott V. and Wyvem for the advice. I found this webpage which shows me exactly what Wyvem is talking about. http://www.blackhawkengr.com/Corvair%20 ... ojects.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Looks about right.

I found some parts, 140 manifolds machined for Webers, on Starr Cooke's ebay site which have most of the machining done, but seem a little pricey.

I guess its true budget will have to come first.

[flat6_musik]

Cyclinder heads (barrels) .60 .40 are a larger bore better and once again does it matter em or lm cylinders?

Oil Cooler, should I purchase an aftermarket oil cooler? Any suggestions? I live in sunny socal so it gets hot.

I know I probably left out alot, just dont know what. Well I hope someone jumps on and writes me a shopping list that would be great, not really getting my hopes up. I would appreciate any input.

Thanks

I think that, from what I've read, going bigger (thinner and thinner on the walls) on the cylinder's bores can cause more distortion as they heat up. I'd guess that thicker is better. Clark's should be selling those '60 style cylinders brand new, which have a little more fin area. Another thing is......are you dead set on keeping your powerglide trans? I don't think you can take full advantage of the Weber 3-barrels with an automatic. I mean, maybe, if you had a custom higher stall torque converter and deeper gears. And adding an extra oil cooler is a great idea too.. You can drop an obscene amount of money in these engines and still not be that fast, so......just think about it. You may even be better off with a turbo if you only plan on doing short blasts of acceleration now and then. Good luck!

[scottydont]

My corvair experience is limited, but I've been wrenching on air cooled VW's for a couple of decades, and they share a lot of the same problems when it comes to performance limitations.

I'll go a step beyond what others have written and say that before you plan your build, before you even decide your budget, you need to decide what kind of car you're building. Is this your primary car or a weekend warrior? Do you plan to race it (drag or road)? Take it to shows? Just bomb around terrorizing the neighborhood grandmothers? All of those cars will probably need different engines, AND have different needs in other areas, which will not only affect the cost of the engine, but how much money you need to allocate to other parts of the build.

Odds are that you're building a daily driver or something near to it. right? (that's just what most people build, no offense meant if you have other plans). If that's the case, forget the triple webers. You'll never spend enough money on the rest of the car to really take advantage of them. I'd recommend building a stock displacement engine with stock rotating assembly. Put some time into deburring all the castings, and have a competent shop balance the rotating assembly. Find a good corvair specific builder to do your head work and plan to spend some money getting stock heads massaged. That's where the power of any engine is made/lost. Make sure they know what exhaust and carbs you want to run... better yet, ask for their advice.

If I were building from scratch, these days my list would include a slightly oversized set of dual carbs with a custom linkage (duals are easier to syncronize and less costly to build than quads or triple webers) or even a single carb conversion, headers, a cam that's 2 steps hotter than stock, maybe high ratio rockers, and cooling system upgrades like a finned pan or remote oil cooler. Those couple items plus some patience and attention to detail (IE match porting everything) when you assemble the engine will cover the "low hanging fruit" and give you the most engine for your money without creating an unreliable or undriveable engine on the street.

Also, dont ignore the rest of the car. Serious racers will tell you that weight reduction (especially rotating weight) is as important or more important than horsepower. That lesson can be applied in a limited way with a daily driver. Skip the big stereo and speaker boxes. Lose the full size spare for a mini spare or none at all, get the junk out of your trunk, and maybe invest in a set of lightweight rims and tires. You can also gain a lot of low end power by changing your gear ratio. That can get pricey if you have to pay a trans shop, but it will be less expensive than an exotic engine build.