66vairguy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2017 10:19 am
Ecklund - I have to agree with Swngaxl that moving the battery is a major effort and cost for a minor gain - I'm an electrical guy and I did it for fun and eventually you can attempt it. You have a lot of other stuff to do. Just move the spare to the front for now.
Yes folks put the A/C condenser up front, but you have to cut a big hole in the bottom of the trunk - and of course now the spare has no place up front (you also can't have an A/C compressor and a spare tire in back - at least on LM cars). Folks move the A/C condenser to the front for an easier installation and engine maintenance, not to move weight. Of course then you have no trunk to put things. I have 66 cars and they have a nice condenser up off the engine on the rear bulkhead. On the EM cars I think it is Clark's that sells a nice kit to mount the condenser on the engine lid so when you open the lid you can access the engine. Otherwise the stock EM and 65 cars require the A/C condenser to be removed off the top of the engine to access the engine - PITA!
Yes the Frigidaire compressor was HEAVY, but it was a good unit for it's time. Note the Corvair had a unique reverse rotation Frigidaire compressor. Some claim it had a lower compression ration to reduce load, not sure about that. Scarce now and most folks go with the Sanden compressor.
Installing an alternator in an EM car is a very common swap. Saves a little weight. Also you can upgrade the Corvair 10DN externally regulated alternator by installing a 10SI rear section and you end up with a modern internally regulated alternator and it's simpler to wire in. DO NOT GET TALKED INTO A "ONE WIRE" alternator setup. Don't work well, as I've had to fix a few of those kludges for buddies. NOTE: you must replace the mounting casting (with the oil filler pipe and fuel pump hole) to the alternator type to get a correct alignment. Folks try to kludge the generator mount, but it typically ends up causing fan belts to come off frequently. Due to all the conversions the alternator mounts are now hard to find - keep your eye out for one if that's what you want.
BTW - Nothing wrong with a generator setup and I would keep it in your other "original" car.
One of these days you are going to drive your Corvair at night and ask here - why are the lights so dim? More on that when you are ready. You can make a good improvement for minor money, or spend a ton of money on the latest tech.
Sounds very reasonable.
Agreed, going to run the thing as much as possible as is when I pick it up in late April when I'm back on leave.
That Clark's EM condenser that mounts on the inside of the trunk lid that you mention does sound interesting. Obviously there is some additional heat load on the engine and the additional weight of the condenser in the rear. Still, a clean install and can get to the engine easily.
I'll need to do some actual measurements but from the pics and other info I could find a spare can be carried on the trunk of an EM along with a floor mounted A/C condenser. The spare rests horizontally above the condenser on some sort of platform between the wheel wells.
After I saw that I thought what if there was enough room on the floor of the trunk to mount the condenser at the front edge of the floor and the battery box at the back edge.
This is why I need to do some actual measurements. Condensers come in many shapes and sizes. And cooling fans also come in a number of diameters. Would need to figure out where to cut some openings in the trunk to get enough air in there to cool the condenser. Saw one A/C setup online that used a outdoor house A/C enclosure door as a shield under the car that covered the trunk floor hole for the condenser. Cheap and effective.
Also I may need to find a 'donut' type spare with a reduced width to lay horizontally over the battery and condenser so the trunk lid would close.
Even with the addition of an A/C system weight on the rear, the 'donut' spare, battery and condenser could live in the trunk and that might be close to 100 lbs moved from the back of the car to the front.
And since there is no compressor at all now I could use a lighter modern one and save that weight off the rear end too.
As I don't know why a one wire alternator is bad I will follow your advice and avoid that pitfall on the '64. Will also look to avoid the incorrect ways of mounting it as you describe. The last thing I need is to make MORE likely that the engine will throw fan belts while driving. And the alternator saves a bit more weight over the generator off the back of the car.
For the '63, agreed, original stuff. Even if the generator is bad I'll have it rebuilt to keep the original part.
Agreed in general about driving the car and doing mods as I go. Even if I wanted to do everything I planned at one time it wouldn't happen just for practical issues like being away for months at a time.
The goal with the '64 is to have a reliable anytime driver with enhanced power and handling envelope. Small changes like a few poly suspension bushings, bigger front and rear sway bars, shocks with a bit more damping, a quicker ratio steering box, 15 wheels and tires, I'll live with the drum brakes and see how it goes as they are getting a complete rehab, new stock rate '64 specific springs front and rear, we'll see how the front sits with all that junk in the trunk, A/C, when the engine needs a rebuild, and that will likely be sooner than later, an increase to 3.3l with a 270 cam and Brown's FI.
Oh, and probably a 'tall driver' seat bracket.
I have made these kinds of changes before to older cars and they simply make the car much more useful..., for me. And IMHO these mods would enhance the Corvair's natural positive attributes and mitigate some of its negative characteristics without changing the basic nature of the car.
I did a battery battery move to the trunk on a 70/71 Mopar A-body. You are right of course, it was a lot of work and expense for very little benefit. But as I am adding A/C to the rear and the Corvair is much lighter than even an A-body, I think it is reasonable to expect a bit more beneficial effect with the Corvair.