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'61 Corvair
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Jul 31, 2018 14:17:42   #
lumix9 Loc: lakeland,fl. via nyc
 
Ralph Nader was an idiot.
Corvair was revolutionary for its time. The last versions where exceptional! I owned a 67 turbo. Could out handle corvettes..!

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Jul 31, 2018 14:21:06   #
ebbote Loc: Hockley, Texas
 
As a previous of owner 62' Monza I can tell you it would easily do 85, on a flat highway. I once saw a Corvair Monza convertible, turbocharged Spyder do 99mph through the 1/4 mile and that was in 1962.

Paladin48 wrote:
I didn't think that Corvair would do 85 if you dropped it from a plane.

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Jul 31, 2018 14:28:45   #
burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC
 
KTJohnson wrote:
1961 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder


Brought back memories of a mid-1970's lecture by Ralph Nader at my college, entitled, as was his book, "Unsafe at Any Speed."

This car spawned a firestorm of regulatory initiatives.

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Jul 31, 2018 14:37:18   #
safeman
 
It did and most of them had nothing to do with the Corvair. Nader had his agenda and used the Corvair as a stepping stone to fame and glory(lol). By 1963 the Corvair was as safe as any car on the market but Nader never acknowledged that. Throughout the Corvair's production run it's major problem was that some of the people who tried to drive it fast did not understand the idiosyncrasy's of a rear engine car.

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Jul 31, 2018 14:59:56   #
Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast
 
KTJohnson wrote:
1961 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder


Nice photos KT, Beautiful restoration....Eat your heart out Ralph Nader

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Jul 31, 2018 15:04:27   #
Jolly Roger Loc: Dorset. UK
 
Nice car.
Shame about the T-shirt hanging from the mirror.

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Jul 31, 2018 15:28:31   #
Daryl New Loc: Wellington,New Zealand
 
Great shots of great car.thanks for sharing.

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Jul 31, 2018 15:30:01   #
Daryl New Loc: Wellington,New Zealand
 
Great shots,great car

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Jul 31, 2018 15:31:19   #
pendennis
 
I owned a 66 Corsa when I was in the Navy in 69-70. 140hp flat six, and it would really move. I didn't like the 13" standard wheels, and ended up putting 14" wheels on it, and also upgraded the brakes (yes the 14's cleared the wheel housings easitly. I took it to Lime Rock Raceway in the spring of 1970, and got to stretch it out there under the tutelage of some great SCCA drivers and instructors. I did run it in some time/distance rallies, even buying a rally computer for it. It was quick, well-handling, and had plenty of power. I had the carbs rebuilt, improving the jets, etc., and added some free flow exhausts that had to be custom made. I had a heavier duty cable installed to operate the clutch, and that was a huge improvement.

After getting out of the Navy, I kept it for a couple of years, but starting a family and going back to school caused me to sell it. Regretted that move since.

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Jul 31, 2018 17:20:31   #
dmc Loc: Montgomery, AL
 
pendennis wrote:
I owned a 66 Corsa when I was in the Navy in 69-70. 140hp flat six, and it would really move.


I too had a 66 Corsa. I raced it in local Gymkhanas (Class LS) and was able to beat most of the competition because of the handling
and those 140 horses. I remember that I would remove fan belt before each race and you could really feel the increase in power !!
The courses took approx. one minute to run so the engine never overheated.

Like most of everybody else that had one....wish I had it back.

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Jul 31, 2018 17:29:58   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
dmc wrote:
I too had a 66 Corsa. I raced it in local Gymkhanas (Class LS) and was able to beat most of the competition because of the handling
and those 140 horses. I remember that I would remove fan belt before each race and you could really feel the increase in power !!
The courses took approx. one minute to run so the engine never overheated.

Like most of everybody else that had one....wish I had it back.


Perfect for an autocross course. Our local club had a class for vans at one, and the star of the day was a fearless Corvair van (yes, I said van) driver. In the hard corners, he had 3 wheels off the ground with all the weight on the outside front tire. It was amazing to watch, and somehow, he never put it on its side.

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Jul 31, 2018 17:51:21   #
tbsteph Loc: Ohio
 
llamb wrote:
I loved my Corvair, it was a fun car to drive. It sat six adults, got 25 MPG, had a good sized trunk, and it was fun to drive. If they were made today, I'd buy one. Great little cars.

~Lee


Engine in trunk - storage under the hood. It would hold a keg of beer. (:. Should always carry an extra fan belt.

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Jul 31, 2018 18:02:27   #
cgraphics
 
I worked on one for a guy who wanted to use it for drag racing. Changing the turbo chargers to two screw-type superchargers, pushing air through six one-throat Weber carbs, and doing a bit to the internals of the engine, it ended up putting out nearly 400 hp on a chassis dyno. I also put in a beefed-up trans-axle from a Corvair truck. Needless to say, he never lost a race unless he red-lighted or did something else stupid. I seriously doubt that he ever took it to a serious NHRA meet as it would never have passed the tech inspection. But, it sure did give you a thrill to drop the clutch on it. It was OK as long as you kept it going straight. But with that swing axle, going around a curve could be dangerous with all that torque.

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Jul 31, 2018 18:16:52   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
cgraphics wrote:
I worked on one for a guy who wanted to use it for drag racing. Changing the turbo chargers to two screw-type superchargers, pushing air through six one-throat Weber carbs, and doing a bit to the internals of the engine, it ended up putting out nearly 400 hp on a chassis dyno. I also put in a beefed-up trans-axle from a Corvair truck. Needless to say, he never lost a race unless he red-lighted or did something else stupid. I seriously doubt that he ever took it to a serious NHRA meet as it would never have passed the tech inspection. But, it sure did give you a thrill to drop the clutch on it. It was OK as long as you kept it going straight. But with that swing axle, going around a curve could be dangerous with all that torque.
I worked on one for a guy who wanted to use it for... (show quote)


Interesting. Please tell more about the super chargers and how they were mounted and belt driven. Also wondering about the clutch...?

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Jul 31, 2018 18:44:56   #
PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place
 
My parents had one of these though it was a hard top. I blew the damn transmission in it and was in deep dodo for a long time!

Don

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