In keeping with the road race theme I decided to get 180 degree headers built for the Corvair. The only man for the job was Tom Phillips he can be seen in one of the photos ( dark gray T shirt) they are almost done. I am very lucky to be associated with a group of guys that are so talented.
Header Build
July Update - Continued
Reinforced plates affixed to the stock frame will be the mounting points for the rear suspension. I had to build the mounting brackets for the coil over shocks that will carry the car. I am happy with the final radiator and fan mount. Air flow will be good, it should work quite well. Jeff, Mr. Fabricator, modified the front fenders to match the rear, we had to widen the rear 2 3/4 per side to make room for the tires. He was able to keep all of the factory body lines. From inside the rear fender well, you can clearly see the additional tire clearance. Now the Corvair is off to the sand blasters.
July Update, a Big One!
After the fenders were widened 2 3/4 inches per side for tire clearance; 4 inch steel u bends were welded through the outside skin to bring outside air into the motor. Air scoops were designed to catch the air forcing it into the engine, a cardboard template was made then transformed into steel and welded to the body.
June Update
We've been busy working on the Corvair, I made hose ends for the water tubes that will carry water to the front of the car. I also made the reinforcing plate for the clutch master cylinder. Marty Strode built the box to mount the radiator, once I mounted it and the AC condenser the box was built into the car. We fully enclosed it so that all air that goes in the front has to pass through the radiator. A little more welding and the fab work on the front will be done.
Got busy and mounted my disc brakes on the Corvair project, also got the half shafts and lower control links made. I found a great new tool it allows you to accurately fit for backspace and wheel width. You can also mount your tire to check for clearance, before spending money on the wheels. Click on the pictures of the tool below to go their website.
May Update
Work on the body is coming along the hood vents are cut in it has a mako shark look , the front opening has also been cut to let air into the radiator . Christmas came early my front suspension came in thanks to great work by FatMan Fabrication
April 2019 Update
V8 Corvair
Lonnie Gilbertson - Milwaukie, Oregon
2009 Corvette LS3 with a 930 Porsche transaxle. This is a new build. Just getting parts together at this time. I should be starting to put it together by the end of summer, 2018.
The Porsche transaxles are not cheap I bought mine for $7500.00 it already had the ring gear flipped to the other side for a mid engine set up. What I like the best is that they hold up with power also the motor sets back in the car farther that allows more room for the front seats.
The Porsche transaxles are not cheap I bought mine for $7500.00 it already had the ring gear flipped to the other side for a mid engine set up. What I like the best is that they hold up with power also the motor sets back in the car farther that allows more room for the front seats.
October, 2018 Update
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I have been collecting parts for about a year while building my new workshop. With the shop about done I am putting the motor and transaxle together to see what I have to work into the car. The motor is 2009 Corvette and the transaxle is 1975 Porsche 930. It will be a slow start as I have to work it in between customers cars but it will get done. I will try to post photos of the work in progress.
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It took a little while to work out, however I have the motor and trans bolted together, the Porsche clutch pulls instead of pushing that through me for a loop. You can see in the photos how close to the front of the motor the center line of the axle is , this will let the front of the engine set back farther in the car giving more room for the seats. This is why I went with this transaxle. Now I can start to work on the sub-frame. More photos as the work moves ahead.
January, 2019 Update
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I got a little time to work on my own stuff so I got busy cutting and getting stuff out of my way so that I could do a test fit on my set up. I want to build 180 degree headers but not sure if I have the room. It is a slow go but it will get done once the motor and trans are mounted.
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I got to spend a little more time on my Corvair so I took on the job of putting a little more strength in my rear trailing arms. My motor builder says he will give me 550 HP at the rear wheels so I don't want any week links. The next thing I will look at is putting disc brakes on the back. I will post as often as I can keeping in mind I need to work on customers first.
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March 2019 Update
These photos show the disc brake installation. I had to build custom brackets for the calipers. It seams nobody makes a kit for Corvairs. Using a flange yoke from a Nissan that bolted up to the 930 Porsche transaxle, it was relatively simple to make the half shafts. I also made some brackets to mount the lower strut inboard, while using the stock Corvair mount at the wheel. The rear suspension is almost complete.