FYI: This was accomplished with a 2.94" stroke crankshaft and 94mm pistons/cylinders in an air-cooled engine. The secret to obtaining those figures is the straight intake runners vs the stock intake system with its two 90 degree bends before the valves. The angle-port exhaust quells a known restriction in the Corvair engine, due to push rod tubes. Pretty impressive #s all in all, for a N/A air-cooled engine/automobile that was designed as light weight grocery getter.
I miss my Corvair, it was a 1968 two door with the 110 hp engine and Powerglide transmission. I loved the way it ran, you didn't need air conditioning because the engine was out back and the air flow through the car was wonderful. It ran and smoked due to the push rod tubes seals leaked. We drove this car a lot, and I even had to change the speedo cable due to it breaking. I put it into a snow bank, the rear decide to lead rather than follow. I sold it do to my wife wanting "stuff". I miss it !
We are wanting to build a high performance CORVAIR engine for a mid-engined Sand rail. Can you please give me any suggestions, and would you have interest in the build ?
I notice several of you were disappointed that he never had the engine going. The uploader has another video with the engine going, I'm sure. I've seen it here.
you are thinking of the 80's Pontiac Fiero, which was another "engine in the back" GM car, though it was mid-engine (engine in front of transmission/axle) unlike the 60's Corvair which was rear-engine (engine behind transmission/axle). The fiero came with 4cyl and V6, Corvair was flat-six only.
that was not unknown to me, my wording was just unclear. I meant that the center-line of the engine crank shaft is in front of the centerline of the diff/axles (a trait also seen on transverse-engine FWD vehicles most of the time), categorizing it as 'mid-engine' rather than 'rear-engine' like the Beetle, Porsche911, etc, where the axle's center-line is in front of the engine.
I read decades ago an article in a Corvair specialty magazine about a 400hp engine that was built but the article also said that anything above this would be too fragile.
@@AutoAuctionRebuilds I've seen STI turbo's put down 400whp, and over 400lb-ft without replacing the internals. Basically a new turbos and bigger injectors and supporting stuff. It's also a real boxer vs a flat V. That's running on pump gas, and a street friendly build. I bet the stock 270hp engine makes close to 380 on a engine dyno, that 270 is net hp rating. That 380hp is likely STP which is basically a gross HP rating.
I had a concept idea of mounting a Corvair engine forward of the cab of a Caterham 7 (Super 7) with the transaxle behind the cab but first there would need to be an adapter to change the rotation of the input to the transaxle after engine and clutch, have the adapter and clutch attached to the transaxle or have the clutch on the engine and adapter on the transaxle (weight distribution and torque management)? I heard (long time ago), that (for Corv8) you can rotate the transaxle, do some miner mods and you're done (I'm dubious). ;-)
In the 70s I built a mid-engined Corvair. A reverse-rotation cam and distributor drive was available at that time. Ran well. (I must have gotten a reverse-rotation starter as well....can't recall.)
Crank case vacuum pumps help with ring seal which interns more power with less oil blow by that can get into the combustion chamber and cause detonation especially in a high compression engine like this has at 14:1 !
Did you custom make everything. I knew the president of the corvair club. He had a Paxton blower on his but it kept splitting the crankcase where it bolted together. I rebuilt a 110 hp and it ran perfectly. Not much power though.
Um like alot of people I grew up around alot of these including several of the spyders and these engines would routinely break parts and self destruct at the modest power they made from the factory..just curious how you made this engine hold up to that and how many runs will it last before it comes apart.Looks like nice work but seems like an expensive gamble.
I really am intersted in your equillization on the plenum, do you get a smoother response with that configuration? With so many race engine's made with the standard 90 degree bank or 360 degree intake fireing order, do you get any detonation at all? You did say you have a vaccum of about 14 in. in the crank case just to evac the pressure build up of windage just so you don't get any detonation? or none at all? I like to know! I know you won't devulge the cam spec's but what kind of rpm doe's it make, beautiful set up!!!
At a 14.1:1 compression ratio it would need a ton of overlap on the cam lobe grind......this is a full out fire breathing dragster motor....how many degrees of overlap on the camshaft?
Chevrolet Corvair never.......NEVER had a four cylinder and all were 164 cid. Then the horsepower ranged from 95 through 180 during it's years in production.
Forgive me i was so blown away that i missed the 7700 rpm it make's, This little sucker rev's!!! 8500 rpm is rediculous peak hp! and it hold's it all together wow! im impressed to how bad it doe's not make more tork? it will be one hell of a race engine! But keep up the good work mabey a little less lift and more duration can give this baby more tork? you know the cam profiile make's all the difference lsa!
so what ever happened to this quiet running engine, did the guy ever actually show it running and or in anything running ?? this is only half a story if the actual engine isn't shown running , a already done dyno info. could have been taken from another actual engine. anybody can say anything.
You would probably have to have driven, and loved on to know. I owned a 66 Corsa and loved it. However, I knew no to put a bunch of $$ into it, as there is no market for them.
I would like to talk with you about your engine when every you have some time. I tried to correspond quite sometime ago but never heard from you. I'm really not good with all of this facebook and youtube technology. I find email a much easier means of communicating. So if you could drop me a line via my email I would certainly respond because I check it daily. Thanks, rhs
Where is the fucking cooling fan? Just a lump of melted aluminum without a fan. Plus the way it's configured you would need a truck engine compartment to fit it in. Totally useless.
