Date:         Wed, 24 Apr 1996 00:40:13 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Austin Silvester <austins@ix13.ix.netcom.com>
Subject:      Re: bus with corvair engine


>At 10:36 PM 4/23/96 -0500, you wrote:
>>I met today by accident a guy who has an early 70's Transporter with an 6 
>>cylinder corvair engine for sale. The body of the bus is pretty rusty but 
>
>I installed a 110 hp corvair *and* transaxle in a '70 bus back in '76 so I
could tow a racecar.  It was a four-sp w/3.89 gears and a positraction;  it
was dead slug reliable, bulletproof, 2.8 litres, flat-six smooth (ask Bob
Hoover about flat sixes in aircraft as opposed to flat fours).
>
>I got a very consistent 21+ mpg.
>
>The engine mechanicals - heads, pistons, combustion chambers, rods, etc are
very similar to typical small-block Chevy stuff, and are therefore
conservatively engineered for long life.  Even though it's air-cooled, it
was done right as compared to VW's version of air cooling.
>
>I blue-printed the engine to dead stock - took apart every single piece
while rebuilding it (myself), balanced it, rebuilt the transaxle myself to
install the posi & the 3.89's, changed the oil every 3k miles(religiously -
even on trips), & put 100k on the whole installation while only tuning it up
every 10k.
>
>I could start at the bottom of Waldo Grade at 50 mph & be doing 70 at the
top - fully loaded!
>
>But '70 was the last year for drum brake front ends - & it definitely
didn't stop as well as it went!
>
>Today I'd suggest you check local smog laws b4 getting into it too far .
>
>Today I have an '87 w/2.1l vasserboxer - & yet I still pine for the +power+
of the 'vair.
>
>Clark's Corvair parts is still very much in business, also KEP will have
lots of info for you (they made the kit I used that utilized the Chevy
transaxle)
>
>Oh, almost forgot - you'll have a real, functioning heater lever - almost
as good as water-cooled's!  (ever try driving over the Siskiyous wearing a
sleeping bag?! - beentheredonethatgotoldquick)
>
>Good luck - do it if you can.
>
>Austin
ps -- I'm taking the liberty of a general posting in case there are other
people interested - sorry if this isn't kosher, disclaimer being that I'm
new at this .  . 
> 
>