I had to mock up the motor with some heads and intake manifold to assure the trunk lid (hood) would close after the engine was in place. I had several transmissions to choose from including a used manual three speed Chevy unit. Once I managed to get the engine into the trunk and was satisfied with it's location, motor mounts became the next item to complete. A 1965 Chevrolet Corvair with the engine and transaxle of a Corvette C8, a custom pushrod suspension, and a custom carbon-fiber intake. I built one of these in 1975 and found this one in Oregon in 2013. I didn't take their papers but my little Corvair was a hit that summer with all the custom car guys. Now we’re some 45 years later and this mid engine car craze has now become a fury. This time however, it would be a driver rather than a show car. I had several of them and loved to tinker with the Monza model which was Chevy's souped up version of this rear engined car. I had a Chevy V8 short block that I could use for test fitting the engine into the trunk. One afternoon during a bull session with some buddies, one of them said it would be neat if we could put a V8 motor in one of my Corvair cars. A major amount of sheet metal had to be removed to squeeze the engine down into the truck compartment. I had one car with no motor and the body was not in the best of shape. Concealing fourteen inch wheels where thirteens were before required even more modification to the cars sheet metal including new wheel wells and interior wheel covers. Tom soon became the new owner and began building a second mid-engined Corvair. I saw his ideas and had to add a few twists of my own to create my 6-71 blown 327 version. A place to preserve the past, present and future of the Corvair. Best thing to do is set things up at static ride height without the springs installed and start experimenting. I cant wait to see … This Rowdy LS V8-Swapped Lifted Corvair Wagon Is Bound for Off-Road Rescue Duty The engine's in the wrong place now, but the heart is in the right one. I had to mock up the motor with some heads and intake manifold to assure the trunk lid (hood) would close after the engine was in place. A big drill press, a good vise and tons of nuts and bolt assortments put most of what I needed at hand. In 2006 he formed along with two other building inspectors, Wagsys LLC which produced software for municipal agencies in the fields of building departments, planning boards and Zoning Boards of Appeals. Welcome to the Corvair V8 web site, maintained by the International Corvair V8 Registry, which is Chapter 006 of the Corvair Society of America (CORSA). The suspension is essentially stock as are the rear brakes. The Corvair had no independent frame and was one of the first uni-body cars on the market. August 9, 2013 January 24, 2017; 1 Comment; Corvair; The Crown Corv-8 Corvair engine kit was created in the late 60’s by Ted Trevor. A friend of my Dads owned the local radiator repair shop and was more than wiling to do the alterations at almost no cost as he too thought the car was pretty neat. There were a few bugs to work out of course as I had no engineering staff to advise me what I was doing wrong but all in all the bugs were pretty minor. by Manny's corvair » Mon Oct 16, 2017 2:04 am, Post See more ideas about chevrolet corvair, chevy corvair, chevrolet. Corvair with a V8 Stuck in the Middle. Instead of building the Corvair into a pristine restoration on a lifted chassis, the team instead decided to put the shell on a custom chassis. No computers, no special sensors for this and that. I placed the battery in the rear of the car as even then I realized the car was going to be light in the rear. Looks like you've got the right idea for the bottom links. My shop had a pretty good assortment of tools, torches, welders, jacks and power hand tools that allowed me to make just about anything in metal. Is this Chevy Corvair with a C8 engine a cool idea or something you’d rather not see built ever? Making a tail mount for the trans was nothing more than some three inch channel iron that spanned from one side of the car to the other. But as it’s built to go in a straight line it’s probably not an issue. Pete is a 30+ year building inspector with experience in both public and private construction industries. But others among us see a totally cool resto-rod sleeper ready to run with the big boys and surprise the unwary. Corvair motors are now being used in aiplanes and air boats with great success and reliability. I checked out V8-powered Corvairs and admired their incredible performance, but was not happy with the necessary trade-offs (loss of interior room with most of the conversions, problems with transaxle strength, etc.). Since the motor was already gone, the rear end, including the wheels were a snap to remove. There are many ways to hop-up a Corvair, and clearly Archibald didn't take the easy route. It used a stock GM bellhousing and a plate that mounted the bellhousing to the Corvair trans. I purchased a used small pickup truck rear end and began altering it to fit under the Corvair body. Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission, and the cooling system is installed in the front trunk area. So far with the doors and hood closed the car looked stock. Enter A Word Or Words In The Search Box Search This Site . I also picked up a few items I found at a swap meet, ↳   DIY - Explanations and Demonstrations, ↳   Vintage- Brochures, Magazine Articles, Videos, Factory How to, Comparison, etc, ↳   Brochures - Owners Manuals - Paperwork Section, ↳   Articles - Performance, Comparison, Specialty, ↳   Articles covering the 1960 - 1964 Models, ↳   Articles covering the 1965 -1969 models, ↳   Vintage Facts - Forecasts - Rumors - Letters to the Editor - Misc, ↳   Yenko Stingers, Fitch Sprints, V8's, V6's, Alternative Powered Corvairs, UltraVans, Dune Buggies, Misc. I had a Chevy V8 short block that I could use for test fitting the engine into the trunk. The input shaft sure looke alot like the standard Saginaw shaft to me but I havent seen them side by side. It was fun to have other guys laugh at the car and ask to race for papers. The car was a real gas. So I was thinking about the Jeep Wrangler mid shaft which is extendable, but I don't know if this will work. This gave the Corvair better weight distribution and performance. It's currently just a fictional rendering, but it looks amazing. Jan 22, 2021 - Explore Edward Scheutzow's board "Corvairs" on Pinterest. The first item on the agenda was to remove all the factory drive train components. Purpose Built: 1966 Chevy Corvair Race Car. by Manny's corvair » Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:40 pm, Post The trunk of a Corvair was in the front of the car. 155 Articles, By I ordered some parts to start the rear suspension. Clark's Corvair Parts, Inc. catalog lists parts and kits for many different performance applications other than just the stock engine configuration. by Trip » Wed Oct 11, 2017 10:27 pm, Post That’s what the builder of this custom Chevrolet Corvair must have said to himself when he decided to transplant a Chevy 350 cid V8 into its rear engine compartment. I don't know how to measure the new CV joint (drive line). See more ideas about chevrolet corvair, chevy corvair, chevy. From schools to treatment plants, from private homes and condo projects, to large residential landscaping projects, he has worked both in the building design areas and field construction in the Eastern US. Google corvair crown conversion to see what people are doing with this conversion. The sight of the V8 through the back window within the surrounds of the Corvair's classic lines is bizarre but undeniably cool. And best year to build a V8 Corvair was 1966 and later. An ever evolving knowledge base made up of Corvair Enthusiasts from all over the world. I was looking for a transaxle that would keep the engine as far back as possible. Lots of wires on this car! Beautiful work, I look forward to seeing the finished product. The Corvair has been converted from a rear engine configuration to a front engine layout and a 283c.i. I added only one other bucket seat as the car was not a touring car but would certainly be fun at the local drag strip. So, one member of the team seized upon a Chevrolet Corvair wagon that had been sitting to become the basis for a recovery vehicle build. The drive shaft had to be custom made as it was less than three feet long and needed a mid-point universal to offset the different heights of the transmission and the rear end. After the guys left the thought of doing this V8 conversion nagged at me and I found myself checking out the car to see if it was really possible. Sometimes a challenge is just that and no more. I drove the car that summer and had a ball taking it to Stewart's drive-in in Paramus, New Jersey on Friday and Saturday nights. by Manny's corvair » Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:58 pm, Post The trunk of a Corvair was in the front of the car. From a slow roll or moving at 40 MPH, punching the gas pedal would squeal the tires and create tire smoke instantly. I clearly remember the first time I actually drove the car to my buddies house to show him the V8 motor in the car and take him for a ride. I would remove the item in the red box. "I went to Mike's house once he was further along with his project and decided that I also wanted to build a Corvair as long as I could fit a 455 Buick in it," Larry recollects. Rich Wait is converting a 1961 Corvair Rampside pickup into a unique hot rod at his company Hot Rod Factory in East Bethel, Minnesota. Not practical maybe but fun nonetheless. View more photos of the project in the build album. A major amount of sheet metal had to be removed to squeeze the engine down into the truck compartment. You need upper links as well. by Manny's corvair » Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:55 pm, Post by azdave » Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:28 pm, Post V8 engine with an estimated ~300+ horsepower. This 1965 Chevrolet Corvair is a Corsa model with a mid-mounted 327ci Chevrolet V8, which was reportedly installed in 1970 using a Crown kit. Click Here to See Members Vehicles. by Manny's corvair » Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:07 pm, Post https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Peter_Ackerson/618010, Automotive |   I soldered over 100 pins to build the custom harness and connector plugs. “The Corvair is a uni-body constructed car, and with the existing front end was set up to carry home the groceries, not a small block V8 engine I knew I needed to put a frame under it. © 2021 EzineArticlesAll Rights Reserved Worldwide, Every Detail You Need to Know About Ambulances, Best Ambulance Manufacturers Ensuring Safety, Ambulance Manufacturer - Producing the Best Quality Transport to Save a Million Lives, The Rapid Growth of Ambulance Service Providers Worldwide Amidst the Pandemic. Crown's method mounted the V8 on the front end of the Corvair trans. Thank you Ray. With the three major components of the drive train now mounted in the car, I was able to start on all the smaller items that a car needs to run. These could be installed on the 1965s along with the larger bolts that attached the drive shafts to the drive axles. The reason Chevy's Corvair failed was because it had a small engine in back when what most everyone wanted was a big V8 up front. Peter Ackerson. I owned at the time, a small shop repair shop where I would tinker with cars and motorcycles and make a few dollars as well. 1.5k votes, 155 comments. I retained all the Chevy factory lights, turn signals and so on and really just needed to wire the engine components and battery. The wife says this has to go to start my next project. The Corvair has a cult following, and we suspect they would love to see this car come to life. I used other people's examples to start. Jul 6, 2017 - Explore Frank Weaver's board "Corvair "V8" Conversions" on Pinterest. Thanks Dave and Nate for the info. At least until you started it up. I did this on my 1965 Yenko clone. The widened and stretched body lays over a custom tube chassis with an adjustable coilover suspension. by Manny's corvair » Sun Oct 22, 2017 11:04 pm, Post And,… they transplanted a Chevy V8 powerplant in the front, instead of the rear. I owned at the time, a small shop repair shop where I would tinker with cars and motorcycles and make a few dollars as well. by Manny's corvair » Sun Oct 22, 2017 11:21 pm, Return to “Member's Rides, Projects, and Builds”, Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited, Show of your ride, keep track of your project, watch as others progress on their projects. One afternoon during a bull session with some buddies, one of them said it would be neat if we could put a V8 motor in one of my Corvair cars. This Corvair was pulled from eBay by the seller and marked no longer available just a few hours after it went out over the BaT morning email. by azdave » Fri Oct 13, 2017 2:36 pm, Post Submitted On March 26, 2011. This kit allowed second generation (1965-1969) Corvair owners the ability to install different V8 engines in front of the rear axle. I had already moved on to another project but I had proven that you could squeeze a V8 motor into a stock Corvair body. These had the stronger trans. Later models became more streamlined but suffered the same engineering problems of the early years and quickly the car faded into obscurity. What an understatement that was. I looked into lambo Gallardo 6 speed transaxle to Mendiola and Corvette. Source: Hot Rod Factory (build … Many people have done as you plan using a telescoping half shaft but you of course need to fab the supports for the suspension and set the length of the half shaft so it does not over-compress or over-extend anywhere within the normal range of motion in the suspension. Looking car in those days was a silly looking car in the red Box the lights and on. 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