Project "KushVair" - 1967 Corvair Street/Track Build
 

A year and a half ago, I picked up a '67 Vair in Indiana and drove it 14 hours back to NY. The drive was raining almost the entire way, but it was a helluva ride:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...3-10-27-53.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...3-06-28-01.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...3-10-51-50.jpg

The car was already set up with some nice mods, but many were 30+ years old and the car generally needed work. My plan was to restore the car, and I began fixing it up as I drove it. I started a build thread for the restoration at that time, but unfortunately my business duties took over my life and I had to put the project on hold indefinitely. The car was parked in a garage and left untouched until now.

Project KushVair
Now, a year later, I've taken the car out of storage and laid out a plan that differs significantly from the original restoration. Thus, a fresh build thread. The goal of the project is to create the ultimate street/track car, with an emphasis on handling, simplicity and weight savings. Original factory weight was 2465 pounds with 110 horsepower. My plan is the following:

Interior: Strip all trim, panels, carpeting, heater ducting, and seats. Install 8-point cage, lightweight seats, install necessary gauges, repaint interior gloss black. Repaint dash wrinkle black.

Body: Lightweight panels where possible, remove roof extension, repair rust issues and repaint where needed (especially front trunk area).

Steering and Suspension: Replace all stock bushings, ball joints and rod ends, hopefully with poly units if I can find them. Replace pitman arm bushing with nylon unit (point of flex on corvairs). 2" drop springs front, 1" drop springs rear, or cut "HD" springs, which ever are available. Koni adjustable shocks front and rear. Possibility of a 4-link kit for the rear, but I'll see how it handles with upgraded bushings on the stock setup first.

Wheels and Tires: Lightweight street-legal wheels, high performance DOT tires. I'm staying away from R-compounds for the street but will use them on the track. New wheel studs and lugnuts. The car currently has nova rally wheels and basic tires, which are heavy and have incorrect backspacing for the car.

Brakes: The car already has a basic Wilwood front disk conversion, I need to figure out exactly what it is and see if there's any upgrades available. For the rear, I'll get all new hardware, wheel cylinders and kevlar shoes. Lines will be inspected and replaced if needed, stainless soft lines will be installed.

Mechanical: Quick-shift kit, fix various leaks, performance alignment, relocate battery to the front, and a full tune-up.

I won't be messing with the motor until everything else is complete. It's got a cam and headers and seems to run strong for now.

Back in the "shiny" days:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0_1401copy.jpg

Motor:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0_2243copy.jpg

Interior:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0_2241copy.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2234_1copy.jpg

Alright, due to the hurricane I can't actually WORK on the car, but I can order parts!

I spent a ton of time researching wheels and tires. The Vair design limits tire and wheel size, so finding a good performing combo isn't as easy as other cars. I decided to go with a set of 15x7 Basset DOT-approved racing wheels, which will work both on the street and track. They'll also allow me to compete in certain classes that require a DOT wheel.

http://www.bassettwheel.com/dot.html
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...rvair/15x7.jpg

For tires, I went with Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec. They're one of the only 205/50/15 tires that have positive reviews, and luckily they have some of the best reviews I've found for a performance summer tire short of R-compounds. I guess I'll find out!

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...s_2F_Tires.jpg

I went with a shorter sidewall than stock (stock is /70 I believe) because the car is and will remain lowered (though with new suspension), so there's not much room to work with. It'll also help out with steering response a bit. I also picked up a new set of wheel studs, longer than stock, and a set of chamfered lugnuts which are needed for the Basset wheels.

This is a project that I'll be driving while I work on, so I'll probably get these mounted, drive it for a week, and then start on the suspension.

Not to confuse the progress report, but I did tear out the carpet last year to get rid of mold and moisture before putting the car away. Unfortunately, I wound up with tons of glued-in fuzz which I'll have to strip out. I won't be installing a new carpet, so the floor itself will need to look better than new before the seats go in.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...-03-211425.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...03-2114261.jpg

This might be a sub-project that takes place along with the wheels and tires, just because it's already started. On a side note, for some strange reason the enormous floor shifter is one of my favorite parts of the car. No center console, because there's no transmission tunnel - the floor shifter is really a FLOOR shifter.

Neat project!
I for one can't wait to see how you get all that crap off the floor. Be sure if youre using chemicals to ventilate!

Jeff-

What the hell kind of engine is that? :wow:

Jeff, thanks. Haven't figured it out yet. Lots of scrubbing and sanding would be my guess.

Matt, it's a flat-6. Alot of guys put them in airplanes too:

http://imagedv.com/aircamper/log/ima...on-stand-4.jpg

I've just never seen the belt routed like that. Looks craaaaazy. I didn't even know Corvairs were rear engine cars. I learned something new today. :lol:

some came with turbo chargers, too. The corvair was an innovative car for its day. There's a very good write up on the corvair over at http://ateupwithmotor.com/component/...rticle/65.html
That'll give you a good 101 on this car...

Don't forget Don Yenko used to build these before the Camaro came along (Yenko Stinger) GM, I believe, even experimented with these cars using an electric motor. Look up "electrovair" sometime...

Back to the project thread- very cool project! I'd like to build a '67 Corvair sometime. Probably the optimal year, imo.

Awesome article, thanks. :cool:

This isn't my car, but these photos show how the drivetrain is arranged. Whole damn thing fits on a small dolly, and drops out of the car with the rear suspension. Thought it was an interesting view that you wouldn't usually see.

I'm glad to see you get back on this project. I remember when you picked it up. Cool car, looking forward to seeing what you do.

You mention the roof extension. Is that the part that looks like a vinyl top in the pics? What is under it? Will the profile change if you remove it?

Not gonna lie, after reading that article about Corvairs, I really, really want one now, haha. Can't wait to see this thing transform. :yes:

Thanks, yes that's the vinyl-looking piece. Fitch produced Fitch "Sprints", a modified Corvair design back in the 60's. Mine's not Sprint but I do have the roof feature. Underneath is just the stock roof line. I'd rather save the weight and remove it, and the more I look at stock-bodied Corvairs the more I like them anyway.

Here's a quick summary of Fitch:
http://www.corvaircorsa.com/fitch.html
http://www.corvaircorsa.com/fitch01.html

Sadly, there were more aftermarket parts available back then than there are now for these cars. Even Yenko had his hand in them back then, and produced the Corvair Stinger - which I believe was his first involvement with GM. Some parts are still available, and the community is strong so advice is available from guys who have been there already.

Thanks for the links. Good reading on Fitch.

If you are stuck on small block power, some guys do mid-mounted V8 conversions. Crown and Kelmark were two companies who sold kits to mount V8's towards the center of the car. The power/weight ratio can be insane, and weight bias is much improved. There's still a few Corv8's out there, but they're rare. Nobody sells the kits anymore. Here's one very clean version that was built up from an original Crown car shell:

http://www.corvaircorsa.com/norris01.html

If you can find one, it would make a helluva project.

G-body frame with LS1
 

Saw an article in Super Chevy (I think...) where a Corvair and 1980's G-body (Monte Carlo/Grand National/Cutlass/Grand Prix) had the same wheel base and similar track width as a Corvair, and the Corvair body was put on a G-body frame and floor. LS1 / T56 or 4L60E is an EASY swap as the Monte Carlo folks are selling conversion kits.

I thought about this myself for my project after the 1969 Camaro but found an awesome deal on another project car (Need an old car as a foundation out here in California to stay away from the smog nazi's, and I've worked on Corvairs in the past).

Wouldn't take much to get a dead G-body for next to nothing, box and stiffen up the frame, get a DSE suspension kit and you would have quite a foundation to start. Tons of other g-body related parts too, 9-inch rear ends, big brake kits. Need to look at a few things that need to be thought out ahead of time, like cooling the engine, as the Corvair has no grille, but those kinds of things have been worked out before.

Ton of work, on a proven chassis, but easy to do if you are a handy welder and fabricator, and have the time and ambition. Here's an posting on a LS1 conversion. Found it quick, and I've found a few other tech articls on other pages too, I just don't have time to dig them up.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/conver...1-corvair.html

Hmmmm.... Can I post an article from another site and not get it deleted.... Guess I'll find out.....

Nice Project. I had a late model several years ago loved that car. Mine had the 140 hp with 4 single barrel carbs. I put the Holley 390 cfm 4 barrel set up on it. Ran great until temps dipped below 40 then would start freezing the intake runners.

Alright guys, it's been a while! Got a new shop for my business, so I can work on the car on the off-hours, inside for once.

Towing the car to the new shop:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh2/photo4.jpg

Started by taking apart one side of the rear suspension to see what sort of condition it's in:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh2/photo7.jpg

Poor condition, apparently. Didn't take photos, but just about every bushing is shot, along with the shock and spring. Nothing too surprising there. I ordered all new poly bushings for both sides, along with new adjustable shocks and stiffer springs. Installation will have to wait until I get around to sanding and painting the wheel wells. I'll also be rebuilding the hubs and axles.

I also removed the rear roof extension, stripped the vinyl and started sanding for eventual paint. I initially was going to leave it off of the car but I do like the way it looks. It'll be painted body-color.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh2/photo8.jpg

I considered sending the car out to be media blasted after finding this on the lower windshield section:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh2/photo3.jpg

...however after stripping the interior down and sanding some other suspect areas of the body, the car as a whole doesn't look all that bad. I'll just strip the body when I get to that point and fix whatever rust there is. The floors and frame are still in great shape.

Speaking of the interior, I tore it out today and started cleaning up the glue, seam sealer and other crap that was hanging around.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo12.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ush2/photo.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh2/photo1.jpg

Long way to go. Over the next week I'll get it cleaned up, sand down the floors and repair any rust areas. Then it's POR15 time! I'll also see about getting a better camera, didn't realize how dark the pictures came out.

Any idea how to make the images show up in the post? I used the IMG tags but it just shows the URL.

Right below the undo button in the posting menu bar there's a square yellow icon with a mountain and sun. Click that and it will give you a pop-up screen to paste the url of the photo in. Assuming you have the photos uploaded to a photo hosting site.

Got it, thanks - used photobucket.

Alright, time for an update. I Unexpectedly had a few hours to work on the car today, couple of buddies came over to help with the floor too. I don't know what sort of adhesive they used in the 60's, but it's stubborn as hell. We spent hours scraping, sanding, and grinding, and got the rear half of the interior cleaned up and ready for paint:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../photo10-1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/photo8-1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/photo4-1.jpg

There's only two spots on the rear floors that need attention - one 8"x8" section that I need to cut out and replace, and another small area that just needs some patching. I'm VERY surprised that there's not more rust (knock on wood).

It was killing me to do all of that work and not see what the new paint would look like, so I de-greased a small section in the back and laid down four coats of "Rustoleum Automotive Enamel". If you ever use this stuff, DO IT OUTSIDE. This is not spray paint, this is death in a can. Holy crap. I'll be doing the rest of the painting outside for sure.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/photo3-1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/photo1-1.jpg

That's all for now, next step is to finish off the floors, patch the bad spots, and finish painting the interior. Then it's off to the wheel wells and suspension.

Looks good Kush

Thanks!

Spent a few hours on the car the last couple of days. Got through 75% of the interior prep for paint:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../photo16-1.jpg

Still have to do the front floorpans and under the dash:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../photo18-1.jpg

Also started stripping the seam sealer from the trunk. A quart of oil was stored in there and leaked all of the place apparantly, so it'll require some good cleaning:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../photo15-1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../photo19-1.jpg

I also took out the headlight buckets to deal with some rust issues around the edges:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/photo3-4.jpg

And finally, I took apart the rear suspension for rebuild:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo22.jpg

I'm going to prep and undercoat the wheel wells before it all goes back together. I'm sending the hubs and axles out to a guy named Steve Goodman who does full rebuilds on them, and I ordered some poly bushings to replace the original worn-out stuff that came out.

Stuff for Steve:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../photo20-1.jpg

Out with the old:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo23.jpg

That's all for now, here's how it sits as of tonight:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo24.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo25.jpg

Until next time!

Glad to see you're still on this project., I like it!

Thanks!

Small progress today. A few buddies were hanging out at the shop tonight so we spent some time on the Vair.

Some of my suspension parts came in today for the rear, so I figured i'd better start sanding down the wheel wells for paint before it goes back together. I used the old standby - wire wheel on a drill:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...113_211627.jpg

Might be about time to invest in a real dust mask...

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...3_211638-1.jpg

I started it off but the guys got tired of watching me work and took over, which I happily agreed to. All this sanding is wearing me out. It turned out pretty damn good.

Before:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo22.jpg

After:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo29.jpg

I'll be painting it with 3M rubberized undercoating. I ran out of cleaner so I need to do a Home Depot run before I can finish and paint it. When it comes time to tear the drivetrain out of the car, I'll do the same for the engine bay and the other side of the frame rails.

We had to remove the header to get deep inside the wheel well, so I figured I'd see what condition the headers were in. There's fuel AND oil leaking from the motor, so the headers have a thick layer of rust and grease on them. Again, the wire wheel worked wonders. We also used some fine-mesh steel wool to polish the exhaust tips.

Before:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo28.jpg

After:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo30.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h2/photo31.jpg

Amazing what a few minutes of scrubbing can accomplish. Again, no degreaser, so I'll have to wait a couple of days to paint. This is also all from one side, the other side of the car still needs to be sanded down the same way. Small steps!

Alright, I was able to run out to get paint and degreaser sooner than I thought, so I spent some time on the car today. I painted the first wheel well with Rustoleum undercoating, and 8 hours later it's still not dry. I'll check it again tomorrow, and if it didn't adhere I'm going back to my original plan of 3M undercoating. Not sure what the issue is. I forgot to take pics of that, I'll post them next time. I also sanded down the other side rear wheel well but I'm holding off on paint until I see what's going on with the undercoating.

I also started sanding and painting some of the parts that I took out of the car, in the hopes that I can start putting it back together in a couple of weeks:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/IMG_0307.jpg

I also painted the exhaust with high-temp paint (see previous post for "before" shots):

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/IMG_0304.jpg

And lastly, I sanded and re-stained the wood steering wheel, and painted the center a satin black instead of the original chrome. Looks good so far, some finishing work needs to be done though.

Before:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...100_2241-1.jpg

After (almost done):

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/IMG_0306.jpg

Looks good.. :thumbsup:

Not many photos today, but I got the drivetrain removed last night. Again, a couple of buddies came by to help out. I'll try to get some better photos next time I'm at the shop, probably later today.

On the way out...you can also see one of the freshly painted wheel wells:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0120022313.jpg


One of the guys helping to position the motor/trans onto a dolly for easy removal:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0120022314.jpg

Almost out!

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...120022314a.jpg


Aaaand, there it sits:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0120022316.jpg


Next step is to finish sanding and undercoating the rear of the car now that the motor is out, as well as painting the engine bay. After that, I'll do a basic gasket rebuild of the motor and transmission, and put it back in with the new rear suspension.

any updates to this guy?

Wow forgot about this thread, I think the last time I logged in was to post here! Just got the email notification that there was a post in the thread. Unfortunately no updates, sold the car a few years ago. I believe the next owner got it up and running. Haven't heard anything about it since though.

Ok cool....Ive started looking for a new project and have been kicking around the idea of attempting the Corvair body onto G-Body frame....along with an LS motor and Ride Tech G-Body suspension components.

Do you happen to know the factory weight bias on a Corvair, and any idea how moving the engine to the front changes it (presumable significantly)?

Stock distribution is 40 front, 60 rear. There was a company called Crown in the 60's that sold a mid-engine V8 conversion kit - it put the motor behind the front seats and made it nearly 50/50. There's still some floating around, even some running cars, but the kits aren't being made anymore. I'd think putting the motor in the front would make it 60/40 to the font but I don't really know. Before you go that far, see if you can find a corvair with a worked suspension. They handle phenomenally. Not the fastest off the line but great on a road course. The Yenko Stinger was a beast on track.

Interesting...Ive also heard of guys throwing Subaru boxer engines in the stock location, although that would also probably require a fair bit of fab work.