Corvair engine swap, Tell me why this isn't popular Options

[914rat]

I saw a car in the classifieds that has a Corvair 6 engine swap with the engine set up to run in the correct dirrection.I was wondering why we don't see this conversion very often.Seems like a pretty straight forward conversion.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=114974

[pt_700]

i suspect it's because there's not a lot of power to be had. for the same amount of conversion work, you could use a porsche flat 6. slightly more for a water cooled motor like small chevy or the increasingly popular subie.

paul

[IronHillRestorations]

The Porsche flat 6 (depending on the engine) can be nearly a bolt up conversion, without too many hoops to jump through. A good Porsche flat 6 is a very durable engine too.

The other thing, is most 914's lust after 914-6's hence the desire for using a factory engine.

The Corvair engine is probably too rare to be popular.

[914rat]

The Corvair is much less expensive to purchase than a flat porshe 6 A rebuilt Corvair motor can be had for $3k a core porsche 6 cost about that a 3.0 would be double that.The Corvair motor does not require the expensive sheet metal, oil tank, and lines, that are required for the porsche 6 conversion.So I don't think it would be as expensive as a porsche 6.Corvair engines can make from 140 to 200 hp so the power is compareable to a flat 6 porsche.The argument that it's under powered and the same amount of work and similarly priced dosen't seem to hold water.Ther has to be some other reason(s)

[zymurgist]

Perhaps Dr Evil will chime in. He has a Corvair engine in his bus.

[carr914]

Your values on Porsche 911 Cores are way off. Plus a 914-6 Conversion with a good 911 Engine is always going to be desirable and have a Marketplace - a PoorCor, not so much

[914rat]

Your values on Porsche 911 Cores are way off. Plus a 914-6 Conversion with a good 911 Engine is always going to be desirable and have a Marketplace - a PoorCor, not so much

Not sure what you mean by 911 core prices being off from what I see $6k seems about right for a 3.0 by the time you add the sheetmetal oil tank and lines and sourse a mount you are easily @ $8-$10k.My point was the Corvair swap would only require the motor and mount and a kennedy adaptor and clutch.Could probably be done for under $5 or if a good motor could be bought for less maybe as little as $3k for the conversion.I agree the value of a 911 6 conversion would be worth more but my point is it would only be worth the difference in cost of investment.I am not thinking of doing this conversion just wondering why it almost never comes up in the conversion threads and it seems as viable as any of the water cooled conversions with less work similar power and lower cost as well.I also thought the level of difficulty seemed a bit less than going water cooled.

[SirAndy]

The Corvair engine is probably too rare to be popular.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)
And you can get a brand new in the crate 350 for less money.

[toon1]

The Corvair is much less expensive to purchase than a flat porshe 6 A rebuilt Corvair motor can be had for $3k a core porsche 6 cost about that a 3.0 would be double that.The Corvair motor does not require the expensive sheet metal, oil tank, and lines, that are required for the porsche 6 conversion.So I don't think it would be as expensive as a porsche 6.Corvair engines can make from 140 to 200 hp so the power is compareable to a flat 6 porsche.The argument that it's under powered and the same amount of work and similarly priced dosen't seem to hold water.Ther has to be some other reason(s)

You have it all figured out.......do one.......We would all like to see a build thread.

With all the experience of conversions of ALL types on this site, if the Covair was a logical and economical transplant, it would have been done.

you asked a question and your getting answers you don't seem to like or agree with.

[mepstein]

I wanted a Porsche engine in my Porsche 914.

[914rat]

The Corvair is much less expensive to purchase than a flat porshe 6 A rebuilt Corvair motor can be had for $3k a core porsche 6 cost about that a 3.0 would be double that.The Corvair motor does not require the expensive sheet metal, oil tank, and lines, that are required for the porsche 6 conversion.So I don't think it would be as expensive as a porsche 6.Corvair engines can make from 140 to 200 hp so the power is compareable to a flat 6 porsche.The argument that it's under powered and the same amount of work and similarly priced dosen't seem to hold water.Ther has to be some other reason(s)

You have it all figured out.......do one.......We would all like to see a build thread.

With all the experience of conversions of ALL types on this site, if the Covair was a logical and economical transplant, it would have been done.

you asked a question and your getting answers you don't seem to like or agree with.

No I don't have it figured out and I'm not going to do a conversion.I asked a question and got some refuteable feedback so I responded accordingly.If you took the time to check out the link in the classifieds you will see this conversion already done.It might be old school and I suspect Andy is probably right but the other arguments are not good arguments.If you have something intelligent to say feel free to do so otherwise keep your negative comments to yourself.I'll buy the too rare theory but everything else was poorly advised conjecture not backed up with fact.Don't know what set you off but comments like this nobody learns from and is just plain rude.

[zymurgist]

I thought it was a good question. Not everybody relishes the idea of giving up front trunk space for a radiator (water cooled conversions).

[r_towle]

to rare IMHO equals a small market for parts, little knowledge of how to hop them up, and any decent set of heads may set you back alot...just because few people know how to make the heads and cams really produce.

If you go with a SBC 350 or a P-6 motor...there are tons of parts and opinions on how you can spend your money to make it faster.

rich

[Dr Evil]

I am too busy to read the negative comments that those without experience ALWAYS post to this subject.

The corvair power plant is cheap, can be made to give good, reliable power, is cheap to rebuild. stupid easy to plug in and convert in any air cooled, is used in home built aircraft, and the list goes on.

The answer to your question is, too many people THINK that they know about the engine and poo poo it, and it does not add any appreciable value to your car like a Porsche engine. However, a Porsche engine will always cost much more.

Corvair engines are neither rare, nor expensive. There are tons of cores for dirt cheap.

Check Clarks, Larry's, and my friends at Corvairranch in Gettysburg, PA.

[bandjoey]

I always thought it was poo pooed because it was a Corvair engine. Kinda like 911 people think of 914 owners. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

My Bro in Law ran 2 Corvairs into the ground, each with over 250k miles, with only 1 head gasket as a major repair. If I were doing a car to keep and didn't care about value, it's a motor to look at.

[tornik550]

This stuff happens too often here- somebody asks a perfectly reasonable question then everybody shoots the question down even though they do not have any experience with the matter. In this case, we were lucky because Dr. Evil does have experience. That doesn't inspire creativity (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I remember seeing a post about how you never want to use scat chromoly pushrods- I asked why and all of a sudden the thread was dead.

Just my 2 cents

[RJMII]

my answer: Ralph Nader.

Personally if I were going to put a Corvair engine in something, it would be a Corvair. Dr Evil and I went to his buddy's place (Corvairranch) and I saw a few there that had me drooling and taking pictures. My project list is too long right now, and it only has a couple of emblems and a few sets of r/c wheels on it.

No I don't have it figured out and I'm not going to do a conversion.

Why aren't you going to do a conversion? You might have it figured it out, but you just don't realize it.

[toon1]

The Corvair is much less expensive to purchase than a flat porshe 6 A rebuilt Corvair motor can be had for $3k a core porsche 6 cost about that a 3.0 would be double that.The Corvair motor does not require the expensive sheet metal, oil tank, and lines, that are required for the porsche 6 conversion.So I don't think it would be as expensive as a porsche 6.Corvair engines can make from 140 to 200 hp so the power is compareable to a flat 6 porsche.The argument that it's under powered and the same amount of work and similarly priced dosen't seem to hold water.Ther has to be some other reason(s)

You have it all figured out.......do one.......We would all like to see a build thread.

With all the experience of conversions of ALL types on this site, if the Covair was a logical and economical transplant, it would have been done.

you asked a question and your getting answers you don't seem to like or agree with.

No I don't have it figured out and I'm not going to do a conversion.I asked a question and got some refuteable feedback so I responded accordingly.If you took the time to check out the link in the classifieds you will see this conversion already done.It might be old school and I suspect Andy is probably right but the other arguments are not good arguments.If you have something intelligent to say feel free to do so otherwise keep your negative comments to yourself.I'll buy the too rare theory but everything else was poorly advised conjecture not backed up with fact.Don't know what set you off but comments like this nobody learns from and is just plain rude.

OK..........sorry

[Dr Evil]

I was doing a conversion on my 914 until a 2.7 dropped in my lap for free. If it were not free I would have continued. The "free" concept is quickly lost when you factor in: mounts, hoses, tank, tins, any parts are $$$.

Ya, the reverse cam and dizzy gear are about $200, 901 adapter about $140, a mount is stupid easy to fab as the case has many mount points.

[carr914]

Your values on Porsche 911 Cores are way off. Plus a 914-6 Conversion with a good 911 Engine is always going to be desirable and have a Marketplace - a PoorCor, not so much

Not sure what you mean by 911 core prices being off from what I see $6k seems about right for a 3.0 by the time you add the sheetmetal oil tank and lines and sourse a mount you are easily @ $8-$10k.My point was the Corvair swap would only require the motor and mount and a kennedy adaptor and clutch.Could probably be done for under $5 or if a good motor could be bought for less maybe as little as $3k for the conversion.I agree the value of a 911 6 conversion would be worth more but my point is it would only be worth the difference in cost of investment.I am not thinking of doing this conversion just wondering why it almost never comes up in the conversion threads and it seems as viable as any of the water cooled conversions with less work similar power and lower cost as well.I also thought the level of difficulty seemed a bit less than going water cooled.

I was not dissing your question, but that seems the way you took my answer. I actually like Corvairs, the car I came home from the Hospital after being born was a Corvair.

However, you said Cores. I see core 911 engines for $500 all the time. I know people that have bought perfectly good running 3.0s for about $3k. Yes you need a mount & an oil tank, but if you want to go cheap & fabricate, it doesn't cost that much.

Of course then you have started down the slippery slope and will need some bigger brakes, more wheel & tire etc

T.C.