Corvair Forum

hu my name is brad just found this forum. dont hate i dont have a corvair, but i recently acquired a trike project that someone started but failed to finish. the person who started it basically back halved a corvair for the engine/transmission and suspension for the rear of the trike.

Brad, if it's Corvair powered, I promise it will be loved here. Great place to ask questions to make that trike work for you.

Welcome aboard.

Sounds interesting. Do you have any photos to share so we can get some idea of where the project currently is and what is planned? We would love to provide support in any way we can to advise you about the Corvair power train.

Yes!.....no hate here for a corvair motivated bike! Heck no! There was a VERY cheap non-running corvair trike at a yard sale near my house.....I thought about buying it, but.....the wife wouldn't have been too happy about that.

Thanks for the support . Mainly as far as the powertrain goes just trying to make it as low maintenance as possible since I am finishing it for my dad to ride. Electronic ignition, one wire alternator, new plugs wires belt fuel pump, rebuild the carbs. Hoping not to have to open the engine up. I will try and get some pics uploaded. But they are on my phone so. I will try

Sounds like an nice project - building it for your father to ride. Do you also ride? Does your dad have any other motorcycle experience? I tried to get my father interested in riding, but never could get him to even ride as a passenger! Do you plan to ride with your dad?

Pictures are pretty easy to upload on this site. If you can get the photos transferred to a PC or connect via a USB cable you should have no problem. Let us know if you need any guidelines.

Can you provide any details on the Corvair engine and power train, such as the year, HP rating, etc? We can try to provide any technical info you might need, and if you need a shop manual I can upload chapters to guide you on engine maintenance and tuning, wiring diagrams, etc. Just let us know what you need.

What part of the world do you live in? If you are interested, I can provide you with some local CORSA (Corvair Society of America) Corvair Club contact info. Local Corvair enthusiasts might prove helpful with your project as well.

Good luck with the project!

or If you have a driod or iPhone you can download Forum Runner and use this site and post pictures from your cell phone. viewtopic.php?f=80&t=2488

Welcome to CF

I do ride I have a 07 Electra glide classic my dad used to ride till he had kids then they sold the bike he rides mine once in a great while. I plan on riding with him. From the numbers I have found it is a 61 with the 145" motor. Power glide trans

I live in south dakota

It sounds like the improvements and upgrades (alternator replacing old generator, distributor upgrade using electronic breakerless ignition) you are planning will certainly improve reliability and ease tune-up chores. You might want to consider replacing the fan blower bearing assembly if the existing one appears to be the original. They don't last forever, and the cost for a replacement is not that great.

FAN BLOWER BEARINGS
http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... IN&page=10
MAGNESIUM FAN (USED)
http://www.corvairunderground.com/
Corvair Cooling Fans Info
http://corvaircenter.com/phorum/read.ph ... 602,344625

You might want to upgrade the old steel cooling fan to the lightweight magnesium fan that was introduced in 1964 for all Corvairs. (1965-69 were slightly different, but for a 1961 engine you should use the 1964 design). See photos below. The flywheel effect of the older, heavy steel fans caused most of the belt flipping problems (particularly with the very heavy 1962-1963 design). The lighter magnesium blower (listed for about $20 used at Corvair Underground) will greatly reduce belt wear and improve reliability. (Page B-26 of the Corvair Underground catalog, P/N: U-89)

I believe the 1961 engine had a manual choke, while later engines switched to an automatic choke. There was also a design change in mid-year in 1961 to a new fuel pump design, that used a different length push rod. Only the 1960 and part year 1961 used the old fuel pump design. See http://www.corvairunderground.com/fuelpump.htm for more details.

Do you have a 1961 factory service manual? If not, I can provide you with appropriate sections of the 1961 manual in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format (Engine, Carburetors, Automatic Transmission, Differential, Rear Suspension, Electrical Wiring, Ignition System, etc.) Just let me know if you need these, and I can provide them as downloads on the Corvair Forum.

South Dakota - Cold weather is on the way! Do you have a timetable for finishing this trike project and getting it on the road? It would be interesting to see a series of photos depicting your progress, and the final outcome.

Corvair clubs seem to be scarce in your region. I dont see anything in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming or Nebraska! There is one Corvair Club in Minnesota and one in Iowa, if that helps. Must be the cold climate. I remember jokes about getting stationed in Minot, ND when I first joined the Air Force long ago, but I've never lived in your area. I'm sure the winters are much-warmer in South Dakota than they are in North Dakota, right? I do remember being sent to Offutt AFB, Omaha, Nebraska once in the middle of Winter. COLD!!! I think I broke the plastic in my military raincoat during that visit. I guess you won't be doing much riding in the winter! I don't even want to think about it! Anyway, here is a link to the CORSA (Corvair Society of America)
CORSA Chapter Locator
https://www.corvair.org/index.php?optio ... 1&crmPID=1
to help you locate the nearest Corvair Club, if that would be useful to you.

Good luck with your project. I hope this information helps.

I do not have the service manual. That would be great. You can e mail it to me if you would. bradwulf20@Gmail.com. I am hoping to have it running before it gets real cold and finish the rest, body work, lights and any other accessories this winter.my dads birthday is in may so that's kind of my hopeful completion date. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Welcome Brad!

Here are some sections from the 1961 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual and some other material that I thought might prove useful to you. Good luck with the project trike! Let me know if you need anything else. I will also email these manual sections as several emails, due to the size of the files.

lets see if this works. here are a few pics of the trike when i picked it up