Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

The Corvair Topic


Recommended Posts

The Econoline pickup got a heavy steel counterweight bolted in above the gas tank. Reportedly, a hundred or so very early '61s (the first year) didn't have it, and could tip in heavy braking in just the right conditions. So Chevrolet either found one of those, or removed the counter weight from another one for this "demonstration" video. They also raised the rear suspension of the Econoline, note how high the back is and how the axle doesn't droop when the back comes up. They could have also added weight under the front overhang, car manufacturers were notorious back then for sabotaging competitor's products to fake demonstration films before the era of truth in advertising laws.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first car was a '65 Corvair and I loved it. The issue I had was leaking gaskets at the ends of the pushrod tubes, my dad wouldn't let me park in the driveway because of the constant oil slick under the car! $0.50 in parts but a ton of labor to pull the heads and replace the gaskets, so I just kept pouring in oil at the rate of a quart every 100 miles or so :blink: Got great gas mileage however, I had the 110 horse Monza.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thx scott I had a big laugh. Considering I'm also from MN) So I can't imagine having a econoline truck here btw.

Your welcome Dave. But I wasn't the one who posted the link, or was even the first to mention the film. It is cool though. And yea, even if the factory put weights over the gas tank to counter this. I still can see problems driving one in the winter around here.

- Scott

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't forget that at the same time the Chevy II was being hurried to production, Ford was rushing in the other direction to compete with VW with its Cardinal project. A V-4 front-engine, front-wheel-drive coupe with styling somewhat resembling a Rambler American; it would have hit the showrooms in 1963 as the Redwing but was canceled at the last minute; instead it became the new German Taunus 12M and was successful overseas.

6747051749_3215b868b6.jpg

4026871942_286d99eb51.jpg

4223149880_7fd178ffd5.jpg

I wonder what would have happened with Corvair if it had been designed with this (front/front) drivetrain layout?

Some trivia for ya... The Taunus V4 front wheel drive set up was also used by Saab, who bought the units from Ford. That was standard in the Saab Sonnet and also in the 95 series, I owned a 95 wagon. It was really a wild sight when you opened the hood. The tiny little v4 sat completely in front of the front suspension, with the transaxle mounted behind it in the same way the trans would mount to a rwd car. Wild!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Neat article. Boy the world sure is strange though. Who would have ever thought Ralph Nader would want a Corvair? Again, I've had the privilege of meeting Mr. Nader once, and having him sign my copy of Unsafe At Any Speed. I don't agree with him on the subject of the Corvair. But, I do like him and respect him.

Scott

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

A lot of missconceptions and ignorance on this thread.
Some have posted wise knowledge, but most have ignored the obvious.

The cars started out with technology not any different from VW, BMW and Mercedes. (The swing axle.)
But that tech was changed by 1964.

What killed the Corvair was not the book by Ralph or any technical issue like poor manufacturing.
It was the simple issue of repair costs.
The cost to repair a car totally unlike any other machine on the road was much higher than the average Nova or Falcon. So the cars were quietly phased out.
Technically the suspension, electricals and mechanics were not any different. They even rusted in the same locations as all other uni-body cars of the era.

It was simply that a mechanic down at the Texaco station charged more to repair a car with an aircooled aluminum block engine than they did a cast iron block water cooled engine. Period dot!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not arguing and I am not out to "win" anything.

I am merely stating the obvious.

you know, I owned a VW "The Thing" for a very long time and people used to come up to me all the time and say something like "oh yeah that is just like one of those German army jeeps (Kubelwagen)." most of the time I would just kind of smile and gaze off into the distance wistfully. because no, they are pretty much not at all like one of those "German jeeps", in any but the vaguest ways. like yeah they have four wheels, two per side.

jb

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Snake45,

I'm not aware of a specific site, other than if you were to investigate the Corvair community's multitude of sites. But as to specifics on the kits, I'll try to list them here, as briefly as possible:

First, there are year model kits, then there are a number of repop kits. All the repop kits are basically the same as the '68-9 year model kits, though with various part option differences, like wheels, custom panels, and the like. However, on the last two repop kits, AMT has become "creative" by adding parts and other things. I haven't checked the latest for its differences, but I understand they have done some worthwhile things.

As to year model kits, there's one for each of the years '65-7, the first two being Corsa models with different side model emblems than the later years' Monza models. (I'm purposely ignoring the '68 and '69 kits, as they are essentially just like later repop kits.)

The '65 is almost singular in itself. The kit has some old-style kit technology. It is put together with screws in the front, the tires are blackwall, with stick-on decal whitewalls, and other oddities. The model of the kit is a Corsa. The car differences are a different (wider center triangle) nose bar, Corvair nameplate on the front hood, and rear (two separate outlets) air exhaust grill. The upholstery pattern on the seats and side panels is unique to '65, and hard to describe in words. Look to the Corvair community for a further detailing of this pattern. The kit has some unique parts that aren't in later kits.

The '66 model has no screws, and the whitewalls are imprinted on the tires. The car differences are a new nose bar (it's kept for all later models) with a narrower center triangle, Corvair nameplate beside the headlights, and a single, wide air exhaust grille with a thin split bar in the center. The upholstery pattern on the seats and side panels has also been changed from the '65 kit. This kit also has some unique parts, like 13" Cragar wheels, that aren't on other kits.

The '67 model also has some changes from the previous two years that reflect the actual car. The Corsa model being discontinued, the model is now a Monza, with only one model emblem (the Monza cross) on the side (behind the front wheelwell) instead of two, and the thin split in the rear air grill is gone. The interior upholstery pattern is the same as the '66 in the tub, but the seats are different, reflecting the change to the Astro buckets. The dash has been changed from the Corsa (2 large and 4 small holes) dash to a Monza (3 large holes) dash. BUT it is the only kit to have an automatic dash shifter on it (later kits deleted it). Also, it has the Corsa wheel covers, which were deleted the following year. The rear decklid has had the turbo's round center emblem deleted, and some (only some) of the turbo engine parts are starting to be deleted from the kits in this and subsequent kits. The rectangular hole in the chassis which is part of the turbo option also disappears in later kits.

Also of note is that '65 through mid '67 the year was imprinted in raised numbers on the front license plate area. At some point in mid '67 this was removed, so some '67's have the year designation and others don't. This feature was not put on any later kit bodies.

None of the pre-68 kits have side lights, as that came on '68 and subsequent cars. Also in '68 the upholstery pattern was again changed on the seats and side panels, and looks similar to a waffle pattern, with little tiny holes dimpled across the inserts. The wheel inners and cover outers were change with the Prestige kit, adding a wider, now Monza, wheel cover and thinning the wheel inners. Stock wheel covers are also devoid in '68 and later kits, up to the Prestige kit. Tires were also changed with this kit, and are no longer the original type factory tire. Also, some repop kits have chromed plastic plugs for taillights, instead of the traditional clear red taillights with chrome backup inserts. And some repop kits, like the notorious "Custom" kit are also devoid of some stock parts. The "Custom" kit was missing the stock wheel covers, seats, decklid, and one other item I can't remember at this moment.

Hope this helps you.

-Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there a website that illustrates the detail differences between the '65-'69 Corvairs? I hate to say it, but they all look alike to me, except for the obvious side marker lights on the '68 and '69.

The late model (65-69) Corvairs were fairly identical from the outside. The only major exterior differences were the taillights and markers on the fenders. The '65 taillights are different from the '66 + years. Also, the Monza and Corsa trims have emblems on the front fenders behind the wheel well. I believe the '65's also had the front emblem on the hood rather than the nose. The main differences in the late models were mechanical in nature such as brakes, electrical, steering column, and the interior (all I can remember right now). The early models had more differences between years, though still not many.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I am posting this on the Corvair thread, but it may belong in hints. I have the Newest Issue of the 'Vair kit, and an older issue of the Sunbeam Tiger kit. I was trying to put some Minilite wheels on the Corvair. I can tell you that regardless of the real One-to-One rim sizes, the ones in the kits are wildly mismatched. The Minilites in the Tiger are huge compared to the smaller Astro's in the Corvair. So, No Joy on the swap. However, parts hoarding does sometimes payoff.

Remember the Minilite Rims in the Revell '67 Camaro last year? the ones everybody loved to hate due to being "Undersized"? Well, they fit the larger set of tires from the newest Corvair kit, with just the slightest bit of fudging. They are at least 1/8" smaller in diameter than the Minilites in the Tiger. They may be too small for the Camaro, but I think they'll fit just fine in either the Corvair or the Tiger.

So, Small they may be, but perfect for smaller cars they are.

Master Yoda.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So Master Yoda, are you pro or con on Corvair? Why are you avoiding the general direction of this thread, by telling us ways we improve our models? What do you think this is a model website or something? Back to arguing about Corvair. We have to resolve this issue onceĀ and for all. ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just like the little Beasts. :)

I would not have purchased the kit, if H*bby L*bby had put the on clearance. The tires and the Decal sheet were much nicer than the Wal-mart version I have. Other than that, I can find no difference in the plastic parts between the two.

Now, a gripe, since I'm supposed to have one. Chaps my butt that Round2 Calls out the Cibie Headlights on the Retro Box Art, but didn't go to the trouble of putting the Cibie and Custom light lenses back on the Clear Sprue. Easy Enough to scratch up a set, but why highlight them, if they're not in the kit anymore?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...