wookie (05/11/83)
The rolling of Corvairs was due to the jacking effect of the rear independant suspension. This was corrected first with a rollbar on the rearend for 1964 to solve the problem while therear end was redesigned for 1965. Hence your best bet is a 1965 or newer although the 64 should be OK. So the ones made after the fix are not prone to roll-over and die. As with most air cooled engines the Corvair usually does wind up burning oil especially if the fan belt has been broken and the engine kept running for a while. All in all it wasn't such a bad car although the heater wasn't so good. The spider is probably the most collectable and yes they are becoming a collectable car! Keith Bauer White Tiger Racing Bell Labs Murray Hill
emma (05/11/83)
Relay-Version:version B 3/9/83; site harpo.UUCP Posting-Version:version B 2.10 5/3/83; site uw-june Message-ID:<450@uw-june> Date:Wed, 11-May-83 09:38:24 EDT Organization:U. Washington, Computer Sci The early Corvairs used a swing-axle rear suspension, which was prone to lifting in corners. This was very similar to the Volkswagen of the time. Later, (sorry, don't remember off hand when) they went to a different type of suspsnsion, which corrected the matter. The early Corvairs had a differential tire pressure recommended--higher pressure in the back than the front. If the tires were properly inflated, they were perfectly safe. Unfortunately, some jerk with initials R. N. wanted to get some easy notoriety, and wrote an atrocious book entitled "Unsafe at Any Speed" purporting to demonstrate that they were dangerous, and specifically prone to rolling over. The mere fact the nobody else has ever been able to find any statistical evidence that they were any less stable than other small cars of the day did not deter him, and also did not keep sales from collapsing. Other comments--you 102,000 miles in a '65 high mileage? What do you want? In 18 years, 300,000 would be slightly above average! Also, the car has done its depreciating. Don't expect the owner to want to take a loss on a year's use. One question I would have is why he wants to sell after only a year, though. -Joe P.
gjw (05/13/83)
I had restored a 65 Corvair Corsa, my brother owned a 64 Spyder (yes, it is spelled with a y) and my father owned a 62 Monza and currently owns a 66 Monza. From mine and my family's experience I can say the following: 1. The early body style Corvairs (60-64) had a swing axle IRS. The very nature of this suspension system gives it some ill handling traits unless somthing clever is done. Remember that some supposedly well engineered "exotic" machinery had this suspension such as Porche 356's, all Mercedes untill 68, plus beetles until 68, all Triumph Spitfires and certain year GT6's. In 1964 GM added to the IRS what I call a wheel antifold under bar. It wasn't a true anti roll bar but it did keep the back end from jacking up to the point where the rear wheels could fold under and cause the car to roll over. From driving my brother's 64 and my father's 62 neither car was unsafe but you could make the 62 roll over if you did something stupid or deliberate. The 65 thru 69 cars were totally redesigned as is evident by the newer body and had a proper fully articulated IRS. These cars with proper suspension tuning were fine handling cars. 2. These cars were prone to leaking oil more than average. This was due mainly to a break down of the O rings around the push rod tubes and the oil cooler. You can get Viton O rings for these locations from after market suppliers and they practically eliminate the prob- lem. As for burning oil yes they did burn more than normal due to the fact that the oil runs quite a bit hotter than most cars. They only have a 6 quart oil supply and they are wet sump so the oil sits in the bottom of the hot engine. The Porche flat sixes have a 13 quart oil supply and they are dry sump. I do recommend fitting a larger oil cooler and a larger capacity oil pan available after- market. 3. I would recommend looking for one of the newer models 65-69. The most sought after ones are the Turbocharged Corsa convertibles. The standard engine in the Corsa was a 4 carburettor 140 HP vs. the 180 HP of the optional Turbocharged version. The 140 is what I had and it was lacking in low speed torque. My brother's Spyder was Turbocharged and after the turbo lag it took off like a bat out of hell. The Corsa versions were only available in 65 & 66 and due to their scarcity are already collectors items. 4. The fan belt was prone to breakage due to the 90 degree bend it had to make to drive the fan from the crankshaft. It also drove the generator (60-63) or alternator (64-69) so I recommend carrying a spare one with you plus the tools needed to change it. Greg Wroclawski BTL, Whippany