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Tue Mar 27, 2012 4:32 pm

About a year into my 1964 bug and we got a love hate relationship going on. Currently im in the love state haha. anyways I want to go old school and put a corvair engine in. i do not want to swap anything in my trans i just got a beefed up one about 7 months ago from transaxle engineering. I found a 110 Corvair engine with VW adapterthat has been in storage for years i was told it ran when it was taken out. it was out of his buddies buggy who had a flipped trans and broke it. So this engine spins counter clock wise. Ive done some research and called around about flipping the engine. I am under the impression to clockwise a corvair engine you need to a. reverse rotation cam. b. distributor gears and c. new pullys.

I am also aware that i need a 130 tooth flywheel.

I began to wonder how this could sound so simple.
so here are a few questions.

how much cutting or modding is needed for deck?

is it advisable to run external oil cooler like a buggy?

are the fan blades straight so i will not have to change?

where can i find these kits?how much?

Can i run my 12v starter?

So if anyone has done a Corvair Bug Swap HELP Mmehh plz

Tue Mar 27, 2012 5:13 pm

Hell no on the Corvair swap. Especially if it's been sitting for years. All the seals, gaskets will have gotten hard, will leak and need replacing.

Tue Mar 27, 2012 5:20 pm

Take a stroll through my latest Beetle Volksrod build.
Your situation sounds familiar.
You wont get much support from TheSamba crowd for this swap. :twisted:

After experiencing this swap first hand, I can give some accurate advice.
It takes quite a bit of sheet metal with it, to make the transistion.
You need to think about heat if plan to use it as a daily driver.
If want it look stock, no mods, its gonna be tough. The flat 6 hangs way out.

I wont say dont do it, as its your car, if its what you want, go for it. But think way ahead, as its a heavy beast, and is best to ad a rear mount.

If you plan to try to keep it stock appearing, with decklid and apron, save your dough and aggrivation, build a Turbo Beetle engine, that fits, and doesn't weigh 100 pounds more and cost 300 times more if something breaks or goes wrong.

Have a look at the below build thread. There is some good information, and advice from others concerning the swap in the begining of build thread. I went for it, but the car is completely dedicated to the Corvair Engine.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=466290&highlight=

Consensus is/was.... its cheaper and easier to go with a built VW engine.

Just a teaser.

This picture is with the Corvair engine placed in stock body, with apron and engine bay metal removed. You can see how far and how much metal you will have to work around. This fitment is what turned me from Beetle sleeper, to "Operation X" Volksrod. It doesn't look like much but it is. Read the post, more pictures are in it. I chopped the top, which made it worse.
I first thought it cant be that much longer.....Yeah right think again. Its a big un. Even this photo doesnt quite represent how much it hangs out.

Now it will fit nicely in a Bus....

Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:28 pm

dang thats pretty sweet, didnt think it sat that farr out. Guys are right this is not for my daily drive. But definataly plans in the future for mutany! :twisted:

Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:38 am

Oh its "Far out" ...man :lol:

Now you're thinkin smart.

Use it for a Baja, Dune Buggy, toy, maybe a bus, definitley a Volksrod, but not for a stock looking Beetle.

Wed Mar 28, 2012 1:57 pm

Corvair engines are expensive to rebuild correctly!!!!

Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:54 am

You'll have to burn hi test in any Corvair engine other than base after the mid-1961 model year. To burn regular, you need the low compression 80, 98, ot 95 horse motor. Lots of guys use an extra head gasket to compensate, but it might get leaky on you. All the other engines (102, 110, 140, not sure about the turbos) use high compression heads, and they just aren't content on 87. I'd source some 95 HP heads. Like the VW, there is a lot of interchanability on the engines.

The best combo for a street 'Vair engine is a 98 with a 140 manifold. You get the hot "Duntov" cam, 4 carbs, and use can use regular. Just be sure later style valves are installed. But the 98 is rare, as it was only made for about 7 months. Not made for a Powerglide either.

Use vition seals, if nothing else for the pushrod tubes. The driveway will stay bone dry. Clark's Corvair sells a conversion kit for a 'Vair motor in a VW. Clark's has it all and its reasonable.

No they are are not harder to rebuild than a VW, unless one considers two more cylinders too much hassle! :D Easier than an early 911, I'd say, and just as much juice...

Mon Apr 09, 2012 6:01 pm

I have a 63 turbo Corvair. Right now I am running a turbo 65 engine in it. It has a Innovative built turbo setup and a specially prepped Weber carb. Why anyone would want to put a Corvair engine in a VW is beyond me. In every way possible the VW engine is better. Put a stock or even a mildly modified Corvair engine in a VW and a mildly built VW engine powered VW will out perform you in every way.

Jake

Tue Apr 10, 2012 5:49 am

Jake Reed wrote: Why anyone would want to put a Corvair engine in a VW is beyond me.

Jake

Because any Hot Rodder, loves Kustom cars.
Dare to be different.
Its what the Rat Fink woud do.
:twisted:

Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:43 am

Actually I think Ed would have connected a Corvair engine to a VW pan and then built a custom body from scratch out of the demented head of his. :wink:

Jake

Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:52 am

Jake Reed wrote: Actually I think Ed would have connected a Corvair engine to a VW pan and then built a custom body from scratch out of the demented head of his. :wink:

Jake

Yep...That must have been the reason the Corvair engine I stumbled across was in my Dune Buggy when I bought it. Way easier to just let the monster all hang out...
Zooom...

Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:58 am

Please Moderator! Volkswagnut is talking about letting his monster hang out!

:shock:

Jake

Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:27 am

"It ran when it was taken out" is usually seller code for "it ran like crap, and I took it out of the car so I wouldn't have to demonstrate it and no one can conveniently check the compression or otherwise disprove my story."

If this engine ran well at all, it would certainly be in a car or on a stand so it could be demonstrated, because there are Corvair collectors, and they generally spend more money on their cars than we do, and you can rest assured one of them would have snapped this engine up as soon as that buggy was wrecked if it was any damn good at all.

So, only buy this engine if you (a) check the compression or do a leakdown test first, and check endplay, and make sure they are acceptable, or at a minum turn the engine past TDC on the compression stroke for each cylinder several times and make sure everything at least feels ok; or (b) are prepared to do a complete rebuild.

Or, tell the seller you will meet his price if he can demonstrate that the compression and endplay are good. Delicious lulz will result as he begins to stammer, "Well...er...that is...I can't... you need a frommitz...the gloove sleeve...um...."

And, as others have pointed out, rebuilding a Corvair engine is more challenging than rebuilding a VW engine, because of the relatively greater lack of parts availability and experienced support.

(And, how the hell is putting in a Corvair engine going "old school," unless "old school" has been degraded to a simple synonym for "cool?")

Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:52 am

Jake Reed wrote: Please Moderator! Volkswagnut is talking about letting his monster hang out!

:shock:

Jake

Well It is what it is...hahhaha
Just needs a little fresh air, Its is air cooled ya know.

Air cooled is...cool

(On that note)

Hammarlund wrote:
(And, how the hell is putting in a Corvair engine going "old school," unless "old school" has been degraded to a simple synonym for "cool?")

Ole School IS cool, most of the time, not every time.
I guess old school in this particular case means back when the Corvair swap was more popular. Back when VW hot rod parts were limited, and the easiest thing to do is snatch up a junked Corvair engine.
This swap is not cool to most of the VW lovin' gang.
I know Ive seen it used in mainly Baja, and Buggies.
I'm sure SOME of the VW crowd at VW exclusive events, will probably thumb thier noses at me, when I roll in...
Thats good, That just means I got thier attention. Dare to be different.
Its all good... I'm a Hot Rodder Gear Head at heart. So pissing of the purist is part of "it". I do love my VW's and my VW engines, I just had to use the Corvair engine... It makes such a great Volksrod engine.

Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:21 pm

Imo the corvair swap only became popular because vw engines couldn't out perform them, they were cheap, and people always want to be different.

Now though you can get just as much power from a vw, and for a lot less. I don't think I would ever do it in a beetle. But I have seen multiple ghias, type 3s, busses, and buggies, that turn out great.

Though previous posts are right, it would be easier for power, and on your wallet to just use a hipo beetle motor. Plus I don't know about you, but for vw parts I have at least ten or so parts stores and performance shops within 50 miles of me, but I do live in socal.

Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:36 pm

Quote: I don't think I would ever do it in a beetle. But Doing it in a beetle is a young man's game. Been there, done that, barely remember - and have the back problems to prove it. . . . . .

Oh yeah, and I've helped a friend with the Corvair swap, too! Did it in a dune buggy. Uhhh. . .err. . .Geez', I hope my wife isn't reading this.

Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:39 pm

drs1023 wrote: Quote: I don't think I would ever do it in a beetle. But Doing it in a beetle is a young man's game. Been there, done that, barely remember - and have the back problems to prove it. . . . . .

Oh yeah, and I've helped a friend with the Corvair swap, too! Did it in a dune buggy. Uhhh. . .err. . .Geez', I hope my wife isn't reading this.

DAMMIT! You made me snort soda all over my keyboard!

Jake