Toro Conversions and Handling

[49austina40]

Hi,

As I said in my intro, my plans are to go with a G-body chassis swap and a front engine conversion with a Jag rear, but I am still open to a Toro conversion. The only thing that's stopping me from doing that is that everything I've read about the Toro conversons says they don't handle. I've got 2 straight line cars. I want a road car.

Is is true that the Toro conversions handle badly? Can they be made to handle well? Has anyone done one that handles well? If they don't handle well, why don't they?

Any info at all would be really helpful.

Thanks!

[bork81]

i have a toro setup it handles great. but, i stretch the adapter so the weight balance. you also have to change the suspension angles you can see in my post or on cardomain.com

[azdave]

Toro conversions are straight line cars. This is true specially when you compare them to the handling you can get out of a Crown or Kelmark package.

bork81's conversion is quite a bit different from what everyone else calls a Toro swap since he has separated the UPP and replaced the big block with a small block. I certainly love what he has done. I'm just saying it's not the normal Toro conversion everyone thinks of when you mention using a Toronado drive set up.

I have 2 LM Toro conversions and each has a different way of dealing with the rear suspension setup. While both were drivable when purchased, neither were in a safe condition that would allow me to go run a road course and see how they handled comparing the two suspensions. I doublt I would ever run a road course anyway since I know from too many people before me that typical Toro conversions will never handle as good as mid-mounted Crown or Kelmark type Corvairs. I've owned and driven both Crown and Kelmark conversions. After selling those I decided to restore a Toro setup and then ended up with two of them. 99% of their use will be drving to local meets and just having fun. No competition or such planned.

[49austina40]

Thanks guys, Bork that set up is nuts. I love it. But, I see you've lost your backseat, which is something I was hoping to avoid with a Toro setup. So I guess I'm back to the front engine. I did consider a rear engine with a reverse rotation engine.

So, like I said, G-body chassis swap, twin turbo small block, some 5 or 6 speed (if anyone has any ideas on the transmission, I'd like to hear them. All I'm really familiar with is 4 speeds, m21's, m22's, t-10's etc., so I'm not up to date on newer 5 or 6 speeds.), the Jag rear and I guess that's it.

A friend of mine did suggest that it might be possible to use a entire Jaguar "chassis". I know they're unibodies, so he's talking about cutting the entire floor/subrames out of a Jaguar - or removing the entire body - and doing the same to the Corvair and installing the Jaguar guts under the Corvair body. I don't know how possible that is, but it's an interesting idea. At least I guess if I attempted that, I'd be the first one. And, the floors in my car aren't exactly in the best shape, so there might not be all that much cutting to do.

I'd still go with the small block Chevy and 5-6 speed. And the Jaguar uses Chevy bolt pattern wheels. I think it's something worth looking into if I could find some measurements to see if any Jaguars are even close to a fit.

What do you guys think? Is that completely insane or not completely insane?

And...these are the wheels I think I'm going to use, I think with Radial T/A's.

cragar_D.jpg (33.48 KiB) Viewed 728 times

We're hoping to end up with something like this (but no writing/decals, and black)

17.1979GriceyCorvairCornering.jpg (36.35 KiB) Viewed 728 times

[azdave]

I don't know about another Corvair with a full Jag chassis swap but there is a LM out there with a V-12 in the front. I didn't know if you had seen that.

http://www.corvaircorsa.com/V-12-01.html

[Greybeard]

Toro conversions have room for a back seat in the original location, check sig, go to album or go to Corvair of the Month, October.