Ecomodding my 1966 Corvair
 

I've sucessfully revived a 1966 Corvair coupe. I drive it daily 124 miles per day and 4 days per week and have been doing so since April, about 6 months. Gas mileage is about 25mpg. 26 or 27mpg would tickle me to death!
I'm thinking mostly aeromods to begin with, something easy. #1 will be some kind of front end treatment to add stabilty in gusty winds.
Steve Gibson

...which: automatic or manual transmission?

...consider: (1) front-end air-dam/spoiler and (2) trunklid lip spoiler.

...also, a "simple" reliable vacuum-gauge will help too.

I thought the Corvairs did have a chin spoiler starting in 65. If you dont have one I hear the 69 Camaro one fits nicely. Have also seen S10 air dams cut down to fit.

Definatly a vacuum guage.

Old cars are a hoot to drive, I drove my 66 Polara 'vert all summer and love the :thumbup: I get. Wish mine got more than half the mileage yours does but even if you drive a 383/auto carefully it still guzzles gas.

pictures and description of car
 

The Corvair was converted from automatic, two speed powerglide, to four speed manual by my son, years ago when it was his car to drive to trade school. I tore it apart and put in new brakes, wheel bearings and suspension. here is how it looks now.
http://wI/AAAAAAAACNc/actQ_Jmgi9E/s640/IMG_4249.JPG
Steve Gibson

Front end picture???
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PBX0YS8WmYs/TM...0/IMG_4249.JPG
Yes, beginning in 1966 the Corvairs came with a chin spoiler for high speed stability. My son installed the Camaro version, but it was removed one winter by a hard chunk of snow. The plan is to attach a piece of conveyor belt to the spot weld flange under the front valence. this will hopefully divert air around the front suspension and tires and get me some better gas mileage!:) By the way, how do y'all like my 100 percent grill block?
Steve Gibson

By the way, how do y'all like my 100 percent grill block?

I like it, I like the 100% bumper delete too!

Love the grill block!! Kudos on taking care of this classic.

If you have modern tires on it, boost the pressure to "max sidewall".

A full belly pan probably would help reduce aero drag, and wouldn't change the look of the car. A bigger project though. Have a look at Belly pan - EcoModder

Multi port EFI on that engine would be very interesting.

Gibsonvair -

How about wheel skirts?

(This probably co$t$ a ton)
Steel Fender Skirts at Fender Skirt King

(Wrong year, but you get the idear)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/...67f824d78c.jpg

CarloSW2

Yes!, wheel skirts are definately in! It's an old beat-up car. Aero mods will make it look better.http://lh4.ggpht.com/_PBX0YS8WmYs/TM...KJA/ba8f_1.jpg
Not my car, but I like it.
Steve Gibson

Corvairs are pretty clean underneath already so a bellypan would do even less than it normally does.

My '66 is nice and stable cuz it still wears it's factory chin spoiler. I also replaced the skinny 13" wheels with Nova 14 in ralleys in the front and wider Camaro ralleys in the rear. I've read about the Vair chin spoiler being added specifically to enhance stability.

Corvair HEI
 

I couldn't figuire out how to reshape the front quarter panels to direct air around the front tires and although I bought some conveyor belt to make the front air dam, I moved on to something more exciting and easy.
This weeked I replaced the distributor and coil. The distributor is a modified unit from a 2.8 liter GM 60 degree V-6. The total advance is 71 degrees with initial, full mechanical and full vacuum. It runs better with steadier timing and less hesitation. The engine is worn-out, but a spare is now being rebuilt. I will find out in two more days how the gas mileage is doing after my first tank of gas.
I hope to report back soon!
Steve Gibsonhttp://lh3.ggpht.com/_PBX0YS8WmYs/TN...0/IMG_4266.JPG

umm, I am not real sure that 71 degrees of timing is a good thing. I have worked on cars for a while, and 8-15 initial and max of 55ish (think HIGH rpms) was about all we could run on anything.

Browser Warning

The original installed distributor was set @ 20 degrees static, 13 degrees full mechanical by 2000 rpm, and 16 degrees of full vacuum advance @ 25'' mercury.
The new is set @ 20 degrees static, 7 degrees full mechanical by 2700 rpm, and 24 degrees full vacuum @ 10" mercury. I'm carrying a timing light in case there is pinging.
Steve Gibson

Gibsonvair -

Fount this by chance :

An Illustrated History Of Automotive Aerodynamics – Part 3: Finale | The Truth About Cars
http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/...in-spoiler.jpg
CarloSW2

MPG first tank, new ignition
 

After 260 miles: No noticable FE gain...but no loss. 25 mpg. Much better drivability and lugs better. Should lend to low speed, high gear driving for fuel efficiency.
Steve Gibson

That vacuum advance may be adjustable through the vacuum port with an allen wrench. If not you can get rid of some with a piece of windshield washer tubing over the pin that comes up through the plate inside. I agree 70 something is too much.

Corvairs are quite cool, yet the aftermarket support for them seems harder to find than it is for either other GM compacts following a more mainstream tech or the classic Volkswagens.

me and my metro -- Did you observe the post date for Permalink #16? '11-09-2010, 02:19 AM'.

No objection to zombie threads, in this case I saw the history of the chin spoiler at Permalink #15. But eleven years down the road, before addressing the poster instead of the lurkers you can check their profile. In this case ==> Last Post: Begin front quarter mod '66 Corvair 11-13-2010 10:00 AM

Just, you know, FYI.

I'd think about a thermostatically controlled electric cooling fan. V-belts are inefficient. 90° v-belts even less so. And then your thermostat when closed is just adding back pressure to the fan, which is already sucking power when not needed.

They make kits with everything you need in both centrifugal:
Corvair Specialties - Products:Â Corvair Street Electric Cooling fan

And axial:
http://www.corvairspecialties.com/fankit.html

Zombie threads rock!

The Corvair Specialties links suggest to me a retrofit to a Type I engine. I'm thinking twice fans underneath with a collector on top, working with the chimney effect instead of against it.

My next door (two over) neighbor has a Baja Bug with electric fans on the stock cooling shroud. Parked waiting for a rebuild, so I wouldn't do it that way. :)

Sometimes I do wonder why GM didn't try to fit the 153 engine into the Corvair instead of developing the flat-6. It used to be a common engine swap done to Kombis in South Africa. But a souped-up Type 1 engine (or a Type 3 which could eventually be more suitable to the station-wagon version) would already be interesting.

Height of the Vw popularity, GM developed an aircooled engine that mimicked what the Germans were doing then copied the car using Detroit speak. I just cant see a doghouse cover working on a corvair.

I guess you all know it's the external bits that make the different type motors? All the basic parts: blocks, cylinders, heads, crankcases are interchangeable. Well, maybe not 6v motors, but even those bolt up.

This thread brings back memories about my misspent youth in a brand-new, just-introduced 1961 Corvair that I drove in my senior year of high school.

If Ralph Nader had been right about the Corvair being "dangerous at any speed", I'd be the guy they talk about at reunions who didn't make it past the '61 senior prom due to the big crash that night. Instead, the little Corvair handled very well despite my crazy Phil-Hill-wannabe driving.

I don't remember what type of mileage I got in that little Corvair 60 years ago, probably because I usually had the odometer disconnected so I could fool my parents that I honored their demands that I wouldn't go out of town on dates. My mom checked the odometer in an unsuccessful attempt to keep me honest, and you can't figure fuel mileage without knowing how far you drove :=)

Ah, the memories.

https://ecomodder.com/forum/member-f...e-type-542.jpg

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_542
Porsche made a 120 degree V-6 for Studebaker in 1953 in air- and water-cooled versions. It looked a lot like a front-engined Type III.

Front-engined with a V6 air-cooled engine? The only ones I remember right now are those Magirus-Deutz trucks :D

From Wikipedia:
So no front engine according to Wikipedia

Yes front engine according to Motorweek pg 31 on the bottom left of the page:
https://studebaker-info.org/studepor...porsche08.html

I think I'll trust the old Motorweek

Edited the Wikipedia article based on the motor week info. We'll see if it sticks.

I went looking for the article where I'd learned about the Type 542, but Special Interest Autos Studebaker by Porsche, A (1954 Type 542 prototype) 404s. The Teardroppers Powered by Ford article is gone too!

You might check on www.archive.org , if you know the old URL.

-soD