Corvair Forum

... especially because there's not really much to tell.

Hello, I'm James. (Hello, James!)

Like you, I am afflicted with Corvair.

It started out as a project car my brother-in-law gave to me. I was just about to actually start on the project, after deliberating for a couple of years, when another Corvair became available.

I bought it because it was running. The first thing I noticed was that the brakes needed attention. It took about five months, but I got the brakes fixed. I consider stopping to be the first thing that a car needs to do well, so I replaced everything from the pedal to the rotors. Thanks to a couple of very helpful and insightful people over at Corvair Center, I was able to figure out the math so that I could re-size the master cylinders. Of course, at my age, it took about three months of head scratching, spreadsheets, and graphs before I was comfortable enough to actually order the parts I needed.

So I drove the car out of my brother-in-law's garage on a Monday in February. It had been in there, on the lift, for so long that I had forgotten that it had an overheating problem.

It hadn't forgotten.

I pulled the radiator and took it to my friendly local radiator shop. He flushed handfuls of Mulberry seeds out of the radiator, and ultimately that made the car run nearly 100 degrees cooler. So, ten dollars poorer, but very much happier, I started to enjoy my car for first time on Tuesday of that week, after re-installing the radiator.

Friday, that same week, I was starting out from my house, and in the middle of second gear, there was a large BANG sound from the rear of the car, and it skidded to a stop. I called AAA, and had it towed to my brother-in-law's garage.

So there it was, the end of a wonderful three-day affair with my car, and it was back on my brother-in-law's lift. I should explain that my brother-in-law built a garage so that he could work on his own cars, and while he was incredibly gracious during the five months that it sat on the lift, I was not looking forward to returning it to the environment it had seemingly gotten used to, especially after only three days of liberation.

My brother-in-law is one of the most gracious, patient people I know. He never even blinked an eye. I felt absolutely appalled.

With the help of a couple of friends, I yanked the transaxle and took it to a shop for repair. This was a bit painful for me, as I had just had the transmission in my Suburban rebuilt a few months ago, and it was not what I would call cheap maintenance.

Fast-forward a couple of months, and I got my transaxle back, and it is stunning.

I sat there looking at the transaxle, and looking at the car, and back at the transaxle, and back at the car...

So I yanked the engine out of the car, and took the car to a body shop. The transaxle was just too pretty, and would have looked totally out of place in the car.

I've left a few parts out, here and there, but that is the gist of what I've been doing for the last eight months with this car. It's still in the body shop, as a couple of weeks after I got the transaxle back, I was driving my pick-up truck and there was a large BANG that came from the middle of the vehicle. My brother-in-law's lift was occupied, but I have another friend with a lift, so I took it to her place, yanked the transmission, and took it to a shop for repair.

My pick-up is running fine now, and I'm really glad that I only have three driveable vehicles. I could not afford another transmission right now.

AAA sent me a letter saying no more tows for me this year. They are not nearly as patient or gracious as my brother-in-law.

Nice to meet you!

James

Welcome James
I am assuming this is not an average Corvair since you oversized the braking components and mentioned a radiator. Can you post some pictures for us.

Sorry about that. I hadn't figured out how to post pictures when I wrote that.

Here's a picture of the car after I received it.

Here's the power plant.

Here's the front and rear brakes after rebuild.
Last, but not least, here's the rebuilt transaxle that inspired me to take further action. I couldn't get over how spotlessly clean it is.
James

Wow V8/Porsche setup very nice.

James wrote:...especially because there's not really much to tell...

...I've left a few parts out, here and there...

I must say, your first introductory post had me scratching my head in confusion, with all the talk of a radiator, brake rotors... and yet there was a transaxle in the mix! And then there was pulling the transaxle separately, and then pulling the engine later.



You have a unique way of leaving out certain critical facts, and only gradually revealing the whole picture reluctantly, and after much prompting! I feel like I'm reading a mystery novel.

I must say that the pictures far exceed any earlier expectations I had for viewing a "sick" Corvair! Quite an exceptional Corvair you have there!!

I hope that you will have better luck in the future, and less need for AAA or for keeping so many cars "up in the air". And I hope you get to drive your little "grocery getter" with its shiny new transaxle much more in the future. Please keep those updates and photos coming!

I don't write very often, and I left a lot of basic information out; hardly a good introduction. It is certainly not my intention to be mysterious. Here are basic car facts I should have started with:

1965 Corsa
1968 Camaro front spindles and brakes, lower arm extended 1"
383 Small-block Chevy
Porsche 915 transaxle
Porsche 930 rear suspension with coilovers
Porsche 930 axles
Porsche 930 brakes
Front radiator
17" wheels

I was tempted to switch to a 930 transaxle, but could not afford it. I am going to de-stroke the engine instead.

There is a lot of rot around the wheel wells. That is why the car is in the body shop.

That's all I can remember at this time. My mind plays tricks on me, and sometimes I don't remember things. I do the best I can.

Phil: That is a fine-looking transaxle!

James

Those look like 70's era 930/911 Turbo brakes, correct?? Before they went to Big Reds.

I hope that I didn't sound irritated -- I was just enjoying discovering your fascinating Corvair... a little at a time... like a good mystery novel.

I am Soooo jealous! I had wanted to build a car like this since I first read about the Corv-8 (Motor Trend Magazine, I think) back in 1969-1970. I even drove down from Thousand Oaks, California to Newport Beach -- home of the Crown Corv-8 back then. I bought some suspension components for my Corsa, picked up a catalog, drooled over their display board, and dreamed about building a Corv-8. But it never happened. Instead, I finished high school in 1971, got married and joined the Air Force in 1972, had some kids in 1974, 1976, and 1979, and so it went... no Corv-8!

Anyway, I hope you will choose to document your progress with your V8 powered Corvair here on the Corvair Forum. There is a section of the Corvair Forum just tailored for your needs under Pushing the Boundaries ‹ V8's - V6's - and...? viewforum.php?f=33. Just start an appropriately named thread and write whatever you feel like writing. Post lots of pictures, tell us about the car's background and history, etc. While you are at it, tell us more about yourself, such as where you live, your background and interests in cars, classic cars, hot rod cars, Corvairs... We whould love it if you would let us join in on your project by letting us watch a little.

While you are there, you might browse around a bit and look at some of the other V8 Corvairs that have been documented in that section.

Nickshu, as I recall, they are 1979 brakes. Good eye! Nearly as I can guess, the braking system is not well-balanced. I haven't had the car running long enough to break the brakes in, and I didn't get a chance to weigh it during the three days I had it running. I guessed at a weight of 2800 pounds, with 43% of the weight in front. When I got the car, the front end had over three-quarters of the braking power. I've gotten it down to two-thirds in the front by changing master cylinder sizes, and added a balance bar and proportioning valve. Hopefully, next year I can do some testing and tuning.

Bbodie52, I guess I just didn't want to overwhelm people with a wall of information. I'm sure that we could all go on and on about our cars, and I don't think mine is particularly interesting - yet. I hope to change that. I am a bit embarrassed by having made a post with the title I used, and then leaving you hanging. That's just not right.

There comes a time when a car that you bought becomes your car rather than the previous owner's. I'm not sure when that happens, and it probably varies vehicle by vehicle. So I'm covering my bases by working on the engine, cooling system, driveline, wheels, tires, brakes, suspension, body, and paint. I will no doubt feel more loquacious when that magic moment happens, and it feels like "my" car.

Between now and Christmas, I expect to freshen the engine, and put the powerpack back together, and ready to install when I get the body back. Then, all I should need to do is to install tubing for the cooling system. Yes, my body man is that slow. No, I haven't considered going anywhere else.

I'll start a thread and post progress pictures, when progress starts to happen. It'll be a while.

James

P.S. I absolutely did not intend to do any of this when I bought the car. One thing led to another and another and ...

Cool James. Looking forward to the pictures.

Jimbo really cool ride and Jimbo