Spring Valley Bus meets Corvair

[Valentine Won]

Hope you had a good wkend mate looks a bit wet

 

[Bundy]

Certainly was wet at times! :lol:
Gotta say, Justin's install is very neat and the sound it makes is awesome 8)

 

[creationblue]

Certainly was wet at times! :lol:
Gotta say, Justin's install is very neat and the sound it makes is awesome 8)

Thanks mate, it's still sat in the engine bay so that's a bonus too :lol:

 

[creationblue]

So a new fan belt has been on the cards from day one, especially so after the motor spat it off on the rolling road and it got slightly chewed. Since then I've only been using 3000rpm as I know this doesn't stress the belt. Now I've managed around 700miles and noticed the belt has made contact with the edging strip around the rear valance. So with a new belt imported I set about changing it and modding the tin so I can use the 4600rpm peak power 8)

Unlike the vw engine it's a bit of a job (I blame the installation designer :msn4: )

Off comes the bumper and splash pans (again) :roll: and the valance, luckily I managed to leave the towbar in place.



Then I cut about 10mm off the valance just where the right hand side of the belt disappears, giving it more clearance. The trick with the corvair is not to tighten the belt too much as this will cause a belt throw.



So I put some paint on and bolted it back together



So revved it right up to 5000rpm and no rubbage and all sounds sweet. I will give it a run out to DATC next weekend just to test the belt tension ect. Then the week after it's a trip to st. Ives 8)

 

[Grazy]

Nice Justin , looks huge that motor 8)

 

[gninnam]

Great result :mrgreen:

 

[robins]

8)

 

[Remon T2a]

That is one cool engine-swap.

Never heard of the corvair-engine. Sounds like a smooth one with that magical-6-sound.... 8)

What did you have to chance to fit the engine? Throttlecable? tinware? belhousing? Heating? Enginesupport? long or short gearbox?

What I see is that Dodge6X6 has an extra couple of vents for cooling....how is yours with cooling?

 

[StuF]

Awesome work as usual Justin, cant wait to hear it purr this weekend at DATC!
Looks like a brilliant engine to have in the rear of a bus!

 

[creationblue]

That is one cool engine-swap.

Never heard of the corvair-engine. Sounds like a smooth one with that magical-6-sound.... 8)

What did you have to chance to fit the engine? Throttlecable? tinware? belhousing? Heating? Enginesupport? long or short gearbox?

What I see is that Dodge6X6 has an extra couple of vents for cooling....how is yours with cooling?

Hi, it's a fairly easy swap actually, it uses a Clarke adaptor, and mates right up to a 6rib late box, which was modified to fit a T1 engine in the normal ways. It has a modified Corvair flywheel with a VW 6v ring gear (different # of teeth to a 12v), so I'm running a 6v starter to suit. The clutch is stage1 KEP, all standard stuff.

I must point out that Corvair engines run 'backwards' and if your using the PowerGlide auto tranni this is no problem, but if you want to use the VW manual then the motor needs to be reversed. This was done using a reverse cam, meaning it now turns the correct way for a Vdub 8)

The difficult bit was designing an engine bar, so I kept it simple and used the standard early engine mounts, then fabricated a cradle picking up the corvair mounts on the back of the engine.

The throttle cable luckily was inch perfect and matched the corvair linkage, tho this will change when I fit Webers. I made the tin and used a late bay seal to fill the gaps. The rear valance is the only body mods needed.

The cooling on this is fantastic, the fan pushes air out the back via two 'exhausts' so even when stationary there is little chance of the hot air rising into the engine bay. No heating at the moment but I will make some adaptors to connect the heating ducts from the engine to the buses heating tubes. I will remount the oil filter under the bus when it comes out in the winter but for now I'm just running it. 8)

 

[creationblue]

Awesome work as usual Justin, cant wait to hear it purr this weekend at DATC!
Looks like a brilliant engine to have in the rear of a bus!

Yea cheap power that's for sure, and it does sound nice

 

[squareweave]

I must point out that Corvair engines run 'backwards' and if your using the PowerGlide auto tranni this is no problem, but if you want to use the VW manual then the motor needs to be reversed. This was done using a reverse cam, meaning it now turns the correct way for a Vdub 8)

Could you not just flip the ring and pinion in the transmission instead?

 

[creationblue]

Could you not just flip the ring and pinion in the transmission instead?

.....Or of course you could flip the R&P in the transmission, altho the stress is put on the other side of trani housing for which it was not designed.......

Good point tho

 

[dodge6x6]

That is one cool engine-swap.

Never heard of the corvair-engine. Sounds like a smooth one with that magical-6-sound.... 8)

What did you have to chance to fit the engine? Throttlecable? tinware? belhousing? Heating? Enginesupport? long or short gearbox?

What I see is that Dodge6X6 has an extra couple of vents for cooling....how is yours with cooling?

Hi, it's a fairly easy swap actually, it uses a Clarke adaptor, and mates right up to a 6rib late box, which was modified to fit a T1 engine in the normal ways. It has a modified Corvair flywheel with a VW 6v ring gear (different # of teeth to a 12v), so I'm running a 6v starter to suit. The clutch is stage1 KEP, all standard stuff.

I must point out that Corvair engines run 'backwards' and if your using the PowerGlide auto tranni this is no problem, but if you want to use the VW manual then the motor needs to be reversed. This was done using a reverse cam, meaning it now turns the correct way for a Vdub 8)

The difficult bit was designing an engine bar, so I kept it simple and used the standard early engine mounts, then fabricated a cradle picking up the corvair mounts on the back of the engine.

The throttle cable luckily was inch perfect and matched the corvair linkage, tho this will change when I fit Webers. I made the tin and used a late bay seal to fill the gaps. The rear valance is the only body mods needed.

The cooling on this is fantastic, the fan pushes air out the back via two 'exhausts' so even when stationary there is little chance of the hot air rising into the engine bay. No heating at the moment but I will make some adaptors to connect the heating ducts from the engine to the buses heating tubes. I will remount the oil filter under the bus when it comes out in the winter but for now I'm just running it. 8)

Hiya was going to say you havnt got any belt guides but remembered your running oposite direction so they wont work,
The vents in mine are due to previous owner not sealing engine in bay so engine overheated and caused one valve seat to turn, in normal operation there should be no problem at all,
As for connecting to existing heating modify two metal section of a VW cv boot with some tube and make your own flap bit fiddly to connect to original cables but it can be done and I just used some rubber hose to connect to bus and it works a treat pleanty of heat from these engines with that fan on top pushing it through. Glad your likeing it I think there brilliant, no need for valve adjustment, no probles with points gap and pleanty of low down grunt (yours is more powerful than mine but if I went bigger I'd have to upgrade brakes ect)

 

[creationblue]

Took it for a run up the dual carriage way to get fuel tonight and revved the nuts off it :lol: didn't actually make much difference to the acceleration as these motors are like modern diesels where there torque is all low end, nice to get 4000rpm in 4th tho for a change. Noticed the fan belt started to shred slightly so loosened it off to its max point, fingers crossed it wears IN before it wears OUT :?

Yea gonna copy your heating coupling idea at some point Pete. I'll probably be in touch over the winter with some tips on rebuilding the motor.

 

[creationblue]

Been a while...........

So decided that the Corvair is the way forward, so a rebuild is in order. I knew that the valve guides were worn and there was a little bit of work needed to get this motor back to its former glory. Off to Interpro I went on Dec 1st last year and Jason did his thing.

Once stripped down things looked pretty good, worn but pretty good!





Notice the middle piston let go at some point, with the con-rod kissing the case......luckily the driver had the good sense to switch off and save the day!



Yesterday I took delivery of 3 boxes of engine parts from the USA, new B&Ps, bearings, valves, guides, reverse rotation cam, oil pump, rockers ect ect.

Whilst we were waiting for parts Jason has taken out the gearbox (more of that later) to make a centre mount for the 6rib unit. The Chevy lump is a bit heavier that the stock VW motor so I didnt want all that weight on just my 'fabbed engine bar......

So I got me a late-bay gearbox mount and Jason is adding a strengthening plate under the gas tank to take the load.



All looks like new in here





Note, no cutting of anything to fit the Corvair



Still nice and clean under here



Im having the 3rd and 4th gear changed for better cruising by Bears, with the extra torque produced the motor will overcome the usual problem gap between 2nd and 3rd that you get when fitting a 6rib box to a mild motor.

I had a quick look for aftermarket Alloy fuel tanks recently, anyone fitted one? Thinking it has to be the way to go what with the corrosive nature of todays unleaded....

Just

 

[68_early_bay]

8) looking forward to seeing the engine all built back up 8)

 

[Bluesnailman]

Looks great! On fuel tanks I kind of decided last year after cleaning my tank that I was only going to use super unleaded, as no ethanol and no water attracting stuff.

I didn't last long as my fuel sender stopped working so I was forever forgetting my miles since last full and overcome with panic would seek out the nearest station and buy whatever they had. From now on though...... Change timing by 1.5deg (I think) and it's running on super for a couple of months. Not sure I'll get corvair power out of it though

 

[creationblue]

Looks great! On fuel tanks I kind of decided last year after cleaning my tank that I was only going to use super unleaded, as no ethanol and no water attracting stuff.

I didn't last long as my fuel sender stopped working so I was forever forgetting my miles since last full and overcome with panic would seek out the nearest station and buy whatever they had. From now on though...... Change timing by 1.5deg (I think) and it's running on super for a couple of months. Not sure I'll get corvair power out of it though

Good point about super, now fuel is dropping in price it may be worth using it every other fill up (in my case it's gonna be often :lol: )

 

[Haveacamper]

Hey Just,

red9 do a aluminium tank. I have bought one for the extra capacity, but it is still boxed up to fit when I return to the UK.

If you do opt for this then just to let you know, the bolt holes around the sender are not tapped they are just through holes. Also you will notice that the tank does not really have any breather holes to maintain atmospheric pressure as once you connect the filler hose, the "breather hose to the filler neck, fuel out and the return to tank (positioned at the top of the fuel tank and pokes throught the firewall once you have drilled a suitable hole for it) it is a closed circuit. I emailed red9 about this before I purchased mine and they said that they have drilled a 6-8mm hole at the top of the filler neck (behind the fuel flap) to maintain atmospheric. not sure thats the best solution, but a solution all the same.

My dad took receipt of the fuel tank and as a retired welding and fabricator of mild, stainless and alu, he said that it looked to be very well made.

I look forward to inspecting on my visit back to UK in July-Sept.

Nath

p.s. if you want to modify the tank to have a breather then doing this before any fuel goes in is an option...