Before anyone flames me for posting this, it is pretty "badass"...not mine by the way, but must be a handful!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/V8-Bi...item3cc2eac696

 

That's really cool IMO.

 

Imagine if it had some serious hp that thing would wheelie like it was no ones buisness. It is cool i have never liked corvairs but the wheels the paint . I like it !

 

It's WAY "badass"!!!

 

Not what ralph nader had in mind

 

It's almost a Ferrari.

I like the Vista with the 455 in the back more.

0115080102060103012008080303d4c54b8b1049a49800b81e.jpg

 

I think it's "unsafe" when it's standing still!

- Eric

 

A high school friend back in '68 had one with a 327 in it.

 

Just sold my 62 Vair last year. They are (IMO) really fun cars. They are really well and handle really well. Incredilbly easy to work on, inexpensive, and parts are readily available.

There is a whole subset of guys who throw just about every imaginable power plant in them. Such Vairs are REALLY a hoot to drive! As you would imagine with any heavily modified cars, there is a huge gap between those that are done well, and not-so.

 

I gather there's a whole science to dropping Chebbie engines in them - you've got to use a specially ground camshaft because the engine had to run backwards.

- Eric

 

Oddly enough, they had Chevy engines in them to begin with


Mike

 

I meant real Chebbie engines, not those bizarre dry-cooled flat monstrosities that look like something Ferdinand Porsche would have designed if he'd worked for John Deere instead of Albert Speer. :P

- Eric

 

Years ago I purchased a 1967 Toro 425 that came out of a Corvair. The owner said he really liked the power, and in a straight line none of his buddies could keep up with him. But he said due to the width of the Toronado setup his axles were very short. It cornered lousy! That's why he replaced it with a Chebby 4.3 setup. John

 

LOL!

Felt about as comfortable working on my Vair as I was on my lawnmower!

Got pretty good at balancing my carbs - not sure I would have felt as comfortable w/ 4 of them and a turbo!

 

very cool! i've always wanted to get a fiero and get the small block chevy kit for it could you imagine an ls1 in a tiny lightweight fiberglass car? B)

 

That is quite clever.

Nice car, by the way. My Dad had a maroon '65 Corvair, was his first new car. It is the first car I can recall from my childhood. BY '65, they fixed the issue with the rear suspension Nader criticized (rightly). Looks like this guy decided to "regress" a bit with regards to safety.

 

Yes, but Chevy's nonetheless. Designed, built, used by Chevy The Corvair 6 is an excellent engine that can take quite a beating.

I saw a picture of the prototype Olds equivalent from back in the day. Quite a smart little machine. Too bad they didn't make it.

I'd love to build a late model coupe with an Olds 215 in the back. I've got the adapter but no engine or car to put it in.


Mike

Edit: Aliens take a look at the NHTSB's assessment of the Corvair's original swing arm design.

 

Well, since Nader wrote the legislation that created the NHTSB, wouldn't it be the same as his assessment from his book? Issue was the lack of UV joints on the outer (hub) ends of the axle:



ON EDIT: OK, seems not. Regardless of what a 40 year old gubmint document says, or Corvair apologists or detractors over the years, this is probably an argument akin to abortion or gun control; in other words, not worth having in this space. Basically, the auto industry has a history of putting safety behind saving a few bucks (such as on a pair of UV joints). True not just about Corvairs, or GM, or even the olden days vs today.

That said, I like the later Vairs, even if the steering column in my Dad's car fell in his lap during one drive my family won't ever forget.

 

Only if you are using the stock Corvair transaxle flipped around. If you use the TH425, a stock Chebby bolts up with an adapter plate and runs just fine.

 

Not at all, man. 2 NHTSB reports - 1 in-house and 1 independent - subsequently said Vairs were no more unstable than any other contemprary cars - even before the late-model suspension redo. I've looked quite a bit, and have not been able to come up with ANYTHING (in terms of studies as opposed to anecdotes) claiming otherwise.

Nader was definitely correct w/ respect to the auto industry needing to take safety into consideration, but he was totally off base WRT his criticisms of the Vair (not just suspension, but also heater (IIRC) and steering column.) But having a whipping boy helped him sell books. Ralphie found a convenient target by buying into Ford's advertising strategy. Reading his book is interesting. But it is also impressive how much it is based nearly entirely on anecdotes.

If you didn't expect the car to oversteer, and drove like a maniac, you could get into trouble.

 

I LIKES it!!

 

Excellent, Eds, you beat me back here. I just read the report the other day and after all the testing they said sometimes the early model Corvair did better than the others.

Some of the "evidence" Nader used was a factory film in which they purposely rolled the car to show how hard it would be. They had to work at it because the car just wouldn't roll.

Nader was/is a snake. He admitted later he had nothing against the Corvair; it was convenient for him to use it to make a name for himself. I had heard he tried the same stunt on VW and their swing axle, and they told him to get bent. Now look at those pictures posted above and tell me when any car will -ever- look like that.

The biggest thing was paying attention to the tire pressures. And I agree with you about driving like a maniac. But, if you drive like a maniac in any car something bad is bound to happen.


Mike

 

Try to tell the millions of 911 owners that a rear engine and oversteer are a bad combination. Late model Corvairs are nice cars, just came out of Detroit when all the focus was on muscle.

 

love it, every time I see a corvair I think of my 3rd grade teacher who of course seemed very old 40 years ago, she just passed a few years ago but tooled around town in a gold corvair - the only one in town, was a cool car - she was a cool person.

 

cool

 

I did correct my post on edit within a hour of posting it. It is interesting that GM added the extra UV joints in the later models, and interesting too that John Delorean and Lee Iacocca also thought the car was a nightmare. Regardless, the car lasted through '69, and many doubt that Nader's book had much to do with its demise. I have the book, and he was critical of the Mustang too, didn't do THAT car any harm.

I think the 65 and later cars are quite pretty and could see myself owing one one day, esp one of the more exotic ones, and with a 4 speed of course.

 

Good God!!!!

 

Actually Nader caused the car to be built three extra years. By the time the 65s came out there was an internal memo from Chevrolet that there was to be no more development and that 66 would be the final year. After the debacle with Nader Chevy decided to keep building the car so it wouldn't look like they were caving in to him, thus making it look like he was right.

The switch from a swing axle to IRS didn't have anything to do with Nader since the book came out after the car was in development. The IRS was just to make it more kin to the Corvette.

John Z probably thought it was bad because it was a fun car that he didn't think up, and who cares what Lido thought since he worked for Ford and was afraid it would steal sales from the Mustang.


Mike

 

Nice car, wouldn't mind having that Corvair!

 

Didn't mean to jump on you, man - sorry if it came across that way. Its just that I think the Vair is a really neat little car - a real significant point in US carmaking history. But it is truly amazing how deeply seated the idea of "unsafe at any speed" is with the American public. And when you look into it, it is equally amazing how little FACT supports that widely and deeply held belief.

You mentioned a couple of other issues on which folk can disagree based on their personal beliefs, preferences and such. But I don't think the safety of the Vair fits in such a catagory. If someone wishes to contend that the Vair was not safe, then I think the burden should be on them to identify the evidence supporting that position - and I truly don't believe that support exists.

I've given up trying to convince the general public, but wanted to make sure any such misconceptions weren't accepted amongst THIS group.

Another thing - a whole lot more folk refer to Nader's book than have ever read it. Few realize that only the first chapter or so really focuses on the Vair. The rest addresses the industry as a whole. I found it a very interesting read. Amazing how perceptions and expectations have changed within our lifetimes.

 

No apology needed. I was not the first or even second to mention Nader, simply thought MDmechanic's "Unsafe when standing still" comment about that Ebay car was amusing, and tried to add to the humor. I do have the book and have read it.

Yup, people forget, Nader's book was not really about the Corvair, it was about the automotive industry. The car requires no demonization or vindication, it was what it was. The best vindication of the car is that is was no worse than any other POS built during the same era.

 

Yup, in these days of "Eight airbags to protect you and your loved ones!" we forget how true the quote attributed to Lee Iacocca, "Safety doesn't sell!" was back in the sixties.

Until Nader's book and press conferences, nobody ever mentioned safety when selling cars, because to mention safety made people think of danger, and nobody buying a car, in the days before seatbelts, wanted to think about what might happen in an accident.

Safe or not, I'd love to drive that car, though - Looks like a rocket sled (pardon the pun) !

- Eric

 

First Toro drivetrain I've seen in a closed Corvair. I've seen several Rampsides and Loadsides with these installed.

With the midships engine, I expect this thing probably doesn't handle bad at all. 65-69 Corvairs are among the most beautifully styled American cars ever, and right up there with anybody else's styling. This one is tasty with its front grillework and those big taillights.

GM has never been as adventurous since as they were in the 60s.

 

Not sure how I would want to power one of those, maybe stock. Maybe Quad4 ? As much as I like Corvairs and 455's it doesn't seem like the right engine for that car. ?

Looks well done unlike most Toro swap's I've seen.

 

I owned two Fieros and had (unrealized) plans for SBCs in them. It is very do-able. In fact there is a guy who went by the name of V8-Archie in the Chicago area who made kits or you could bring the car to him and he would do it including LS engines as I recall. http://www.v8archie.com/ Have a fat wallet if you want his services or kits.


I personally think the V6 3.8 liter supercharged GM engines make a better, more balanced swap and put out plenty of HP and decent torque for a Fiero.