Astro I OHC Corvair Engine

[sfhess]

Is anyone interested in resin copies of the overhead-cam Corvair engine from the AMT Astro I kit?

[Len Woodruff]

What does it look like?

[sfhess]

Found a picture........

[Ace-Garageguy]

I want I want I want. How good or blobular is the old AMT original?

[sfhess]

I want I want I want. How good or blobular is the old AMT original?

Original looks pretty good.  Bet it would be even nicer after stripping the plating. 

I tried to find pictures of a built one from the kit but the Fotki account they were on is gone and if I saved any the thumb drive they were on is no longer working.

Edited December 12, 2016 by sfhess

[sfhess]

Pictures in previous post are from Brian_R.  He said he changed the carbs and added details to the Astro engine.

Edited December 12, 2016 by sfhess

[gearhedjon]

Oh yea I'd want at least a couple. John

[Ace-Garageguy]

Pictures in previous post are from Brian_R.  He said he changed the carbs and added details to the Astro engine.

The real engine is shown equipped with two, 3-barrel Webers, as were fitted to the early Porsche 911 engines.

The model shots appear to be six, 1-barrel Stromberg 97s, or something visually similar.

 

[sfhess]

The real engine is shown equipped with two, 3-barrel Webers, as were fitted to the early Porsche 911 engines.

The model shots appear to be six, 1-barrel Stromberg 97s, or something visually similar.

 

I said, "He said he changed the carbs and added details ".........

[Ace-Garageguy]

I said, "He said he changed the carbs and added details ".........

Yes, I CAN read.

I was adding information.

I'm curious as to what the original kit carbs look like.

[Phirewriter]

As cool as the engine is I'm surprised no one has put out a resin copy of the whole Astro 1 kit. Since the original tooling was chopped up for the ridiculous and ugly Scorpion dragster I don't see it being back tooled and reissued. 

[Daddyfink]

Here is the engine again in color

[Psychographic]

I'm curious, how is this cooled? Is it still air-cooled, I see no fan anywhere.

 

If done well and priced reasonably, I'd like to have a couple.

[GerN]

This may help:

Astro info 1.rtf

[GerN]

http://www.corvaircorsa.com/astro1_02.html
The Astro-I was equipped with this experimental Corvair engine, with a bore and stroke of 3.56 and 2.94 inches, displacing 176 cubic inches. It was air-cooled, but unlike the production engine, used three tandem centrifugal blowers on a common shaft above the engine to blow cooling air over the cylinder blocks. Designed as a high output unit, the engine produced 240 horsepower at 7200 RPM. Specific power was 1.4 horsepower per cubic inch!
Each side of the engine was fed air and fuel by using a Weber style 3-throat carburetor on a special light alloy head with a single overhead camshaft. The cylinder heads had nearly hemispherical combustion chambers and inclined valves. Camshafts were driven by Gilmer-style belts from the crankshaft. 

According to SCCA racer, Seth Emerson, the engine's carburetors were not standard Weber. He quotes good sources who claim they were GM castings, completed with Weber parts. The modification of the carbs was necessary because of bore-to-bore differences. The throats on the Astro I carbs were much wider apart than the Weber 40IDA 3-barrels. The Corvair cylinders (hence the intake valves) were further apart.
Seth has run the 40IDA 3-barrel Webers on many engines, and indicates if you center the middle cylinder, both outer cylinders have to have the manifold turn out to meet the head. He says that's why GM cast their own bodies. An experienced Weber man can tell by the distance between the fuel inlets on the sides.

But, keep in mind that this car was never driven under its own power.
The Astro I is still owned by GM and was completely restored several years ago. As of this writing, it is a part of the GM Heritage Center Collection.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I'm curious, how is this cooled? Is it still air-cooled, I see no fan anywhere.

Just in case it's not clear in the engineering drawings above, there are 3 fans inside the black wrinkle-finish housing, each fan taking air in at the center and blowing over the horizontally-opposed pair of cylinders.

[vairnut]

I'd be interested in at least 3-4 of them

[dimaxion]

Wow , I thought the Engine was non functional as it was not operated under it's own power . How and why not ? Wow .. Thanx .. 

[Bill J]

Cool looking engine. I have no idea what I would do with one but I will consider one as a future optional engine choice.

[gearhedjon]

What is going on with this? Is this going to be produced? John

[vintagercr]

What is going on with this? Is this going to be produced? John

I'm wondering as well.