Learn Me: Chevrolet Corvair

You want a front anti-sway bar, too. This wasn't standard until '64. Part of what GM got in trouble for- making a $13 front anti-sway bar optional on a car prone to oversteer.

This is very relevant to my interests. I've long told SWMBO that a late-model Corvair convertible would be what I'd choose as my convertible of choice. They're stylish and unique inside and out, and unlike most of my potential choices actually have a back seat.

In reply to Ashyukun:

That's exactly why we have ours. When Baby #1 came along, we sold the MB 450SL as it had no back seat. But the Corvair can easily fit a child seat in back. Seat belts are an easy install.

One other recommendation: the pancake sixes sound great uncorked with a dual exhaust. I've heard single exhaust cars and compared to mine with the dual, they just don't sound sporty at all. The dual gives you cool snap-crackle on decel, and a nice buzz up through the gears.

Corvairs are really neat cars. I did a full rotisserie restoration of a '61 for a customer about 10 years ago. The biggest downside of them as far as I'm concerned is that they may be the easiest collector car to get upside down on.

In reply to APEowner:

Do you mean upside down financially, or physically?

Corvairs aren't really a collector car. It's really hard to make money restoring one for one's self. They're meant to be driven, which, thanks to the fact that Chevrolet made something like 600,000 of them and parts are still cheap and readily available, is easy to do.

aircooled wrote: Linked car is a 63 Monza convertible 4 speed and almost certainly a 110hp two carb motor. With the optional bumperettes. A 63 is a swing axle and does not have the camber compensator (transverse leaf spring) of the 64, so aggressive driving in stock form could get exciting. Here is a somewhat famous pic I took at a Corvair convention of a Greebrier with the same suspension: Paint looks suspiciously nice almost certainly a repaint. Given the location, you will NEED to look under those rocker covers! The interior is bronze, the interior doors are painted white, and I cannot tell what the radio pod is painted (should be the same as the doors I am pretty sure). I am note sure if bronze interior came with a white interior paint, but I would be suspicious the car may have originally been white. Get a shot of the the body tag (engine compartment, rear frame rail) to get the original equipment and paint. Price is good, but maybe suspiciously low given the nice top and good overall look. BTW - Early convertibles are very stiff cars (no cowl shake). Late convertibles are much less rigid.

Thanks so much for the insight! I want to go check this car out, if the craigslist man ever responds to my numerous messages or calls. I have ALMOST convinced my wife that this is the perfect "cruising" counterpart to my Cayman

****thread resurrection*****
 

I did a search and found this. A few years old but tons of good info. From my other thread my 14yo is looking at classic Mustangs, I'm thinking of suggesting the Corvair. Several reasons but one he likes convertibles, and you can get a gorgeous Corvair convertible for less than a project Mustang convertible. Specifically looking at convertible Corvairs, what do I need to know?

However this thread is from 2016, I'm curious if there is no info I should be aware of?  

I also am only aware of one Corrvair for sale near me, and it is still a good 45-hour away. 

How good/bad is the manual transmission in these? 

Is there a factory or aftermarket a/c option? 

Like trombone players, Corvair people are strange.  Very strange.  They won't appreciate it if you don't appreciate the 'Vair.  And they'll get downright indignant and even violent if you openly criticize it.  I had an uncle by marriage who was a Corvair guy.  I've seen the sickness first hand.

I just love the styling of the late '60's Corvairs. Seems like engine swaps are popular, both rear and mid-engine.

But, I always wanted to slide a C6 or C7 Corvette chassis under one (front engine, rear transaxle). It will involve some surgery in the trunk/firewall area to fit an LS in that area, but there's room to do it. 

octavious said:

****thread resurrection*****
 

I did a search and found this. A few years old but tons of good info. From my other thread my 14yo is looking at classic Mustangs, I'm thinking of suggesting the Corvair. Several reasons but one he likes convertibles, and you can get a gorgeous Corvair convertible for less than a project Mustang convertible. Specifically looking at convertible Corvairs, what do I need to know?

However this thread is from 2016, I'm curious if there is no info I should be aware of?  

I also am only aware of one Corrvair for sale near me, and it is still a good 45-hour away. 

How good/bad is the manual transmission in these? 

Is there a factory or aftermarket a/c option? 

Oh, come on, man! I've made it several days without thinking I should probably just give in and buy a Corvair, and you had to go and dredge this up?

Air conditioning was a factory option on both early and late models. I'm sure aftermarket is an option, or just (!) homebrew it.

I keep looking at Corvairs too, I have driven a couple but haven't really found one I would want to buy (the ones I could have if I wanted were all way too rusty).  They seem fun though.

The shifters are about as sloppy as you'd expect something to be that has to travel that much distance to do it's job. The two speed Powerglide slush-o-matic is a durable trans, just not a performance enhancer.

Same rust cautions apply to 'Vairs, because unibody. Suspension mount points can get rotten on them which is a whole lot more problem than just some holes in the floorpans. 

Again, I'd recommend finding a local Corvair nut and have him educate you and maybe go look at candidates with you. The club is pretty robust for these. Corvair people are...special. Perhaps a better word would be fanatical. But they seem to be accepting of less-than-concours cars at their events, which is nice.

Clark's Corvair Parts is your place to get...everything. Part prices don't seem to be crazy for most things.

The flat six engine is commonly found in the 110hp version, which is right on par with the I-6 in the Mustang. It won't be as easy to work on as the Ford, since half the engine hangs beneath the surface of the engine compartment. The engine itself is pretty simple, though. The OEM a/c system is kind of a hindrance in these because the condenser is usually hanging over the engine. 

A beginning driver will need to be educated on driving a car with most of it's weight hanging out over the rear wheels. Snap oversteer can be a thing, even with the sway bars and proper tire pressures. They don't drive the same as 'normal' cars. They aren't wrong, just different. 2nd gen cars have a vastly better suspension than the 1st gen.

My folks drove Corvairs all through the 1960s, and Dad bought a project '64 vert while I was in jr high that wound up going nowhere. I did learn quite a bit about them, and one is on the short list for 'next project' for me.

When I drove a (2nd generation) Corvair for the first time, my immediate thought was that it was the most "modern" feeling 1960s car that I'd driven. The IRS made for a good ride, the brakes are drum, but with so much of the weight in back, they work better than any others I'd used. The motor feels torquey - to a point. You'll never confuse it with a V8, but it get's out of its own way. I find them good-looking, thoroughly pleasant cars. Moreso than most American performance cars of the same time, which while fast, are generally pretty ill-mannered by comparison. 

Ddavid hits it on the transmission options. As far as motors go, the 110 is the most reliable and problem free, but the least powerful. The 140 has more pep, but you have to keep 4 carburetors happy, and the larger valves have been known to drop seats when pushed too hard. The Turbos aren't so great to drive because they make their power at  a high enough RPM that they're useless under most conditions. The motors are reverse rotation, so engine swaps are limited unless you swap the transmission or go mid-engined.

They're pretty fertile ground for interesting mods. The ones that I've been kicking around are trying to fix the flawed turbo motor by adding fuel injection, electronic ignition and a variable geometry turbo. Or put a reverse rotation Honda motor in back. Or of course there's the mid-engined route. Speaking of which, IMO the classic Crown mid-engined conversion sucks, because it puts the engine so close to you that it's unpleasant for more than a drag run or two. A better choice would be to use a modern transmission from a Boxster, Subaru or such.

BTW - while I've heard a few anti-Nader rants, my experience with Corvair owners hasn't been a s colorful as some have mentioned. Anybody who actively uses a 55-year-old car is going to be a little different from the pack anyway.  

I found the local Corvair group on FB and they invited us out to a ge together later this month. 

I have a 64 Convertible:   AC was available on early Corvairs but is VERY rare!  (I actually spotted an early with AC in Pick-a-part years ago, I really should have picked it!).  You can go aftermarket, but it's going to be a bit more custom than usual since the location of the condenser is a bit more difficult in a Corvair (and the length of the lines).   There is a book available (I think it still is) on AC Corvair installations.  The stock installation wasn't super integrated anyway (not built into dash).

I will generally suggest for a Corvair, you either want a verified (as in pics etc) restored car, or as close to un-modified (which can be hard with a Corvair) as possible.  Especially be warry of a re-painted Corvair that you pics of what is under the paint!!! Lots of Corvairs have cheap paint jobs over crap body work!! (because of the lower value of the cars).

An un-restored convertible will almost always have rusted floors (as with most convertibles).  The early cars (I am not sure with coupes, but definitely converitlbes) have a rather bad rust trap area in the front of the rear wheel opening.  The rockers of course, and a bad area in the rear bottom of the doors (mine had all of that, and it's a California car).

Some things to be aware of if you cannot drive one, or get to:  Steering is SUPER slow in stock form (done to keep the steering "power steering light").  Convertibles are SUPER quiet when driving (because of some wind noise), in many circumstances, you will not hear the motor at all (which is mostly fan noise in a Corvair), which makes for an interesting driving experience.  Brakes are actually rather good on the cars (especially compared to cars of the era!!).

Automatics are 2 speed Powerglides, with no Park, so if you go that way, make SURE the e-brake cable is good!  A durable transmission, but it does shift into 2nd (and final gear) at about 15 mph on light throttle, so a bit silly that way.

Turbos are cool, but not really good engines unmodified (and will tend to bump up the price a lot).  I certainly would not pay a premium for one.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask here, I can certainly answer some pretty specific ones, about early convertibles especially (I have taken mine pretty much completely appart).

Anyone put a 6 cylinder Subaru motor in the back of a 2nd Gen Corvair ?

There was a guy in AZ that put a 6 banger Subaru in a late 70s 911 :)

In reply to californiamilleghia :

I have not seen that, but that is a pretty rare engine, and would still require adding a radiator etc.  A 4 cylinder Subaru is far more likely (and has been done).

Something like a 911 motor is certainly a better match (but pricey of course).  Slapping a transverse FWD drivetrain into the backseat seems like an easy button, somewhat cheap (parts wise) upgrade to me (still a good amount of work of course, rear suspension needs to be completely re-fitted).  Someone did do a Northstar V8 a while back.

californiamilleghia said:

Anyone put a 6 cylinder Subaru motor in the back of a 2nd Gen Corvair ?

There was a guy in AZ that put a 6 banger Subaru in a late 70s 911 :)

 

There's the rotation direction problem. Also, Corvairs use the driveshaft as a control arm, so that complicates throwing a different transaxle in there. That said, something like an EZ36 would be pretty awesome in one.

I follow this guy on YouTube. I've found his descriptions to be quite honest and his pricing extremely fair, particularly for a dealer. One of his specialties is Corvairs. He just posted this one a few days ago.

A fun game is watching his videos and guessing the price before he reveals it at the end. I was only $300 off on this one.