Marcus' Corvair conversion, 914-C6 Options

[r3dplanet]

A few years back I got all excited about doing a Corvair engine conversion for my 1971 car. The project waffled. Numbers were crunched and chewed. Thought and diagrams and opinions were drawn out over long winter evenings.

One particularly rainy winter evening, I found an ad on Craigslist advertising a warehouse full of Corvair parts including engines. So my pal Rory and I drove a hundred miles into the boonies late one rainy night to what turned out to be an unmarked, geographically isolated, former slaughterhouse illuminated by a single 60 watt light bulb. No cell phone reception, no escape. We were met by a couple of toothless brothers who couldn't stop talking about Daddy. Seemingly they only did what Daddy wanted them to do. Daddy wanted them to sell the stash of Corvair parts. Daddy wanted them to steal my Toyota cargo van. Daddy needed to approve the transaction of cash for an engine. Daddy, it turned out, was long dead. The two brothers kept trying to separate Rory and I, and the creepier of the two brothers kept demanding my car keys so he could test drive my van, despite my insistence that it wasn't for sale. For the first time in a long time, I wish I had a tazer gun on me. The brothers eventually showed us exactly what I wanted - an RD code 1965 110HP engine. Fearing for our lives, Rory and I muscled the engine into the van while the brothers went to find more stuff for Daddy to sell to us, or you know, maybe a club or some rope or a ball gag or something.

I left the $100 on the bench and tore the hell out. Rory and I laughed all the way back to town, ever so pleased that we were neither killed, nor raped, nor eaten. Plus, we were one up on a Corvair engine.

So with a provenance like this, and seeing JRust's new car, Dr. Evil's project, and 914coops Nader's Nightmare all take shape I've finally decided to get serious about my own project: the VW-Porsche 914-C6.

The "C" stands for Corvair.

[relentless]

Well Marcus, Dr. Evil says I shouldn't comment or offer advice as gospel, even when I put a (?) question mark after what I recall we did when building my engine, and mention it's been over three decades since the work was done. So if you want me to no longer comment or make suggestions I will gladly abide by your decision. I make no representation as to my experience being "gospel."

Maybe you would at least let me post a picture out here how the idler pulley can be *spring mounted* since D. Evil said it couldn't be done! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif) I found it interesting that someone else also had problems with the reverse rotation belt pulley; something Terry said was probably due to the factory designing the engine to track the belt under load in the original direction.

[Dr Evil]

Well Marcus, Dr. Evil says I shouldn't comment or offer advice as gospel, even when I put a (?) question mark after what I recall we did when building my engine, and mention it's been over three decades since the work was done. So if you want me to no longer comment or make suggestions I will gladly abide by your decision. I make no representation as to my experience being "gospel."

Maybe you would at least let me post a picture out here how the idler pulley can be *spring mounted* since D. Evil said it couldn't be done! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif) I found it interesting that someone else also had problems with the reverse rotation belt pulley; something Terry said was probably due to the factory designing the engine to track the belt under load in the original direction.

Please do post a pic. I didnt say it couldnt be done, I asked why. The original design does not necessitate a spring and make no provision for one.

As for offering your recollections on corvair engines, you only put one (?) in one of your posts, but you have posted plenty of incorrect info. My only aim is to keep info factual and accurate, not to belittle. I do not want you to leave, just check your facts. All the stuff you are posting about may apply to early vair, but not the late model, 2.7, 110 or 140hp blocks. Having built up one far more recently than 3o years ago, and modifying it as Marcus desires plus some, and researching them, it get tiring when I have to post corrections to misinformation posted in here. The vair may have the most misunderstood of all engines with lots of BS out there. See the comment about "rubber main bearings". Yes, there was a person that both posted that they used rubber main bearings AND believed it about 10 years ago when I first started into vair engines.

Marcus, there is a guy in Santee, CA named Star Cooke who knows these engines really well. He costs money and is arrogant, but if you want something done right he is an option. I have a set of his heads converted for weber 3A carbs.