Corvair Forum

And another

Lookin good!

Looks sharp and digging those wheels!

I think I can see where Im going with the stretched wheelbase, too; by lengthening the rear arch rearwards, the larger wheel will fill the arch properly, without looking cramped; whilst reducing how 'tail-heavy' the corvair looks...

I know it will all come together ok, at the end :D

All things being well, I am going to rip out the front suspension, and start again from scratch; this weekend.

If you thought that putting an EJ20 in the rear, on 911 suspension was Wack, then this is going to melt your mind!

... Or its going to be a disaster....

Join me in my crazy hole I am digging for myself ;)

All things were well: Today I have gutted the front suspension, fitted up the 'new' unit and started clearancing the body.

Might get far along enough to be happy enough posting up some pictures, over the next few days; so be sure and check back!

Anyone of an unusually weak constitution may wish to sit down now...

If like me, you have often lay in bed, unable to sleep, while that Big question cycles around in your head?

What follows is the answer to my current Big question, 'Will a 2003 Impreza front suspension unit fit under the front of a 1965 Corvair?'

The answer is... YES!

More

Note that I have used an X-brace to tie the front and rear subframes together, ensuring they are true.

I used 1" angle, and some trigonometry to figure out the diagonals and intersection, then drilled everything precisely, and bolted them together where it crosses over.

They greatly simplify the install, as they eliminate the need to be constantly measuring this alignment!

Hellbilly wrote:Anyone of an unusually weak constitution may wish to sit down now...

Well it was a little bit "touch and go" with me but I made it through the remaining posts.

very cool. What is the primary advantage of going with the Impreza over the Corvair front end?

Thats a great question SteveH, and I will try to do my best to justify it...

Firstly, having just dismantled a 2003 Impreza, I had all the bits to hand.

Secondly, I was never happy with the compromises I made modifying the Corvair IFS and this solution has been circling my mind for a while, but I couldnt know for sure until I had stripped it out of the car.

What I did know is that the track width of the Impreza was basically the same as what I had designed the Corvair front to be, so that made it worth considering.

I now have a setup which gives me lower wishbones, formed crossmember, uprights, discs, calipers, rack & pinion steering, & ARB, all in a single package, using off-the-shelf parts.

Yes, I need to work the coilovers and a top wishbone into the equation, but Ive got some ideas about that, too!

Im going to weld the crossmember into the Corvair and make it structural.

Top-Tip of the day:

ALWAYS take into account your Caster angle, when measuring up your wheelbase!

I forgot to set this properly, so today I am moving the crossmember rearwards by 1/2"... Doh!

Used a camber gauge and calibrated it to the floor, then set the upright to 4 degrees positive.

For your amusement, this is the revised calculations for the X-brace geometry, to incorporate moving the crossmember rearwards by 15mm (I like round figures).

Feel free to point out any fundamental mathematical mistakes!

How is the steering rack working out? i really need to put a plan in motion to get a rack into my car!