The Corvair was a car ahead of its time. Ralph Nader’s book “Unsafe at Any Speed” made the last generation Corvair quite possibly one of the best cars Chevrolet ever produced. Timeless beauty. One of my favorites🇺🇸
I survived owning a 65 Monza! It was such a great handling car, I took way too many chances in it! As an engineering student, I could not resist modifying it for better performance: John Fitch quick steering arms, hydraulic steering damper, heavy duty shocks, performance brake linings, Lucas Flamethrower headlamps, and Michelin X tires. A real weapon on the mountain roads here in Eastern Tennessee. Drove that way for over 100,000 miles - tough little car!
I own a 65 Corsa 140 with Crown suspension. I hope one day to put it back together. I bought it out of Texas as a basket case. It would be fun on the Dragon, the backside, and other roads. We're hoping to get 300 HP out of three liters. I gotta find three barrel manifolds, and build headers.
My first car was a 1965 Corvair, It was red. The 65's looked just like the one in this video. I was 16 in 1969, the year I bought it. Of course being 16, though I had a job, I didn't have all the money to buy a car so I begged my oldest brother to lend me around $1,000. He happened to be in Vietnam from January of '69 until he got out of the Army in late December. So I wrote a Dear Roger letter and waited a couple of weeks for a reply. He wrote me back and said since Uncle Sam was paying his expenses at the moment he could spare the cash. He wired the money to a drug store where we lived and I went shopping for my first car. Thinking about it now, no one went with me, not my Father or my next older brother. Just a 16 year old kid and a used car dealer! What could go wrong. 51 years later the used car dealer isn't in the same location, but it's still in business, and still owned by the same family. I loved the car. Driving it was fun, especially in the Fall when leaves were on or near the edge of the road. The air from the cooling fan went down through the rear and out. It blew those leaves around like crazy making it look like you were going way faster than you were! I don't recall any serious problems with it. The one thing I didn't like about it was, like all air cooled cars,....it was cold as hell in the Winter, especially on those trips too short to give it the time it took to actually warm up, like going to high school! The red Corvair Monza I bought was 4 years old , had under 40,000 miles and cost me $600. I was making just over a buck an hour at the time so $600 may sound cheap today but it was real money then. Whenever I get on the subject of first cars with anyone I tell this story, probably because I like to brag about what a great brother I have. I always end it by saying I saved him $400 by not spending all the money he lent me. By the way when I tried to pay him back a year later, he told me to forget it. I have a terrific oldest brother.
GREAT story. Your brother was really generous, especially considering he was in Vietnam at the time! I was a little kid back when these Corvairs were all around. A couple of neighbors up the street had them, one as the sole family car, believe it or not. Just five years old but already drawn to cars I noticed that these rear-engined cars were almost always all sooty black at the rear, no matter if the chunky '60-'64s or the sleek second generation.
Very inspiring story , Sir. Brotherly Love is Olympic Gold! Thank you for sharing your story , I am really inspired to lend my brother some money now. 🙏
Imagine where that flat 6 would be technology wise if GM had any brains at all. This car never ages in style, it would be the best-looking battery powered car by far! The E-Vair, nice name too. I love the is video! I rewatched it several times because it is full of valuable information. Thanks, Atomic Automobile!
A fair and good review from a different generation perspective, good job. I learned to drive on my mom's 1960. When I was financially capable of buying my own car I test drove a Fitch Sprint Corvair and while I couldn't afford that car it did lead to a 1965 Corvair Corsa 140hp w/4sp. Loved that car and when I got out of the service I got a 66 Corsa and modified to copy the Fitch Sprint suspension and engine mods and owned that car for 22 years. BTW, while in the Air Force I bought a 1962 Corvair window van camper conversion. I miss those cars.
I had several Corvairs. My 1964 was the one I drove the most and owned the longest. Not one single time did this car scare me or handle poorly. It was a joy to drive on twisting roads.
Although the '64 still used the early swing-axle arrangement the addition of standard front anti-roll bar and the transverse leaf across the rear gave greatly improved handling & safety & even improved the ride as well. To car companies who count every fraction of a cent, I know it was added expense but chances are if they had done them all like that from day one there would have been a rather insignificant number of complaints. Might never have even come up on Ralph Nader's "radar". The Corvair was supposedly later "exonerated" but it was a point well made here that drivers of Mustangs & other similar cars didn't seem to be involved in a such an unusually high number of bizarre one-car accidents. I knew a number of people with 1st gen cars though who never seemed to have any problems. I owned a 2nd gen & it was a great little car!
i believe fox news anchor tucker edgur drove one as a daily in high school as a family heirloom from his mother/1st-owner it's white if my/2000-13-era memory servers me correctly and i used to tease him not to park next to me ( 300/tj 2005-families or my k1500-80's/old/2gen-charger/ see love old USA 🇺🇸 and 🇬🇧 autos 😉) or being on the same road-same-time lolz 😂 his family loved it/later60's-model and straightened me out on the facts that yes its not the safest car/stinger-GT ever made but Ralph mostly over did it and or used the pinto/corvar as a goat for slander to make a good point's that are based in a validated reasoning against governments and management/manufacturing
ps he was the first one of my southern Idaho classmates to get a ticket(/in trouble for something) for speeding so it must have handled okay for a 20+mph fine ( 60-80mph on a back pavement-farming roads ) and not noticing your over ect
I had a 64 Corvair Spyder. It was turbocharged and had a 4-speed manual transmission, I Liked it a lot. One of the problems Nader talked about was worsened by gas station attendants and sometimes ever Corvair owners who failed to adhere to the owners manual institutions for air pressure in the front tires (15 psi and back tires 25 psi) being so different, and and they aired them up to 25-30 all around, That ruined the great handling of the car and made it unstable at high speeds and in especially cornering. The tire pressure was higher in the rear becasue the engine was in the back, making the rear a lot heavier than the front. This tire pressure requirement was in the owners manual...................
This has to be the best overview of the Corvair I’ve ever seen. Thorough explanation of the different models , and their various engines, levels of trim and suspension setups. Kudos.
My first car was a 62 Monza. 102hp with a four speed. Faster in a quarter mile and top end than my friends 65 Mustang with a 260 cid V8. My wife's first car was a 65 Monza with two speed auto and 110hp. Great memories! Thanks for the video.
13:30 The Corvair always had a heater, however, it was via engine heat and ducting that went to the interior. It was effective, but needed care in maintenance in order to keep the proper sealing to the system and not suck exhaust fumes into the system. The gas heaters you referred to were optional and ran on the same tank as the engine, but were also effective, if not over-effective. 14:25 The belt tension is the key in retaining the belt: adjust the tension so that you can just spin the alternator pulley when the engine is cold. No more thrown belts.
@@zonoscopePictures The narrator wrongly states that the Corvair has a heat exchanger; there's a heat "distribution box" which directs the heat off the engine directly into the passenger compartment via ducting. Consumer's Reports did an in-depth study of the Corvair direct-air heater and in a 1971 issue concluded that the heater is inherently dangerous and that the cars should have been recalled. Ralph Nader in Unsafe at Any Speed also touched upon this subject matter, stating that this type of heater was outlawed in helicopters in the 1950's.
After a couple years the heater chambers on the engine would lose their containment and motor oil would get into the Heater plumbing on both sides like the VW so you could smell the engine big time. As the engine warmed up the oil fumes got worse and came into the cockpit. You could take off the shrouding and clean it what a pain in the arse that was ! Once I used engine cleaner and oven cleaner to clean it up. Terrible idea cause now it smelled so bad that I could not drive it
My family returned our '65 to the dealer a year or two after we bought it and after their excellent mechanic replaced the pushrod seals there was no more oil leakage from the motor and no exhaust manifold leaks in 120k miles. I had the factory service manual but it never mentioned slippage allowed on the alternator pulley. Wish I had known then. Probably replaced a belt every 10k mi.
Ben Beckley nailed it. The real problem with the direct air heater was that the pushrods went through metal tubes right next to the exhaust manifolds. These tubes were sealed by rubber O-rings to keep engine oil inside the engine. The rubber originally used couldn't take the long-term exposure to the heat of the exhaust manifolds and would eventually harden and crack and then oil would leak and drip onto the exhaust manifolds and the resultant blue smoke would be blown into the passenger compartment by the heater. Dupont developed "Viton" rubber and has been used in O-rings in Corvair engines by enthusiasts ever since its introduction, solving that particular problem.
I drove a 1967 4 door with 5 people in it 600 miles from Kalamazoo Michigan to MTU in Houghton Michigan back and forth every other weekend in the winter of 1972-1973. I had 4 cement blocks in the bonnet to help steering in deep snow. Many times we found ourselves traveling thru 6-10 inches of snow that winter. Loved that car, yet you either had defrost for the windshield or a little bit of cabin warmth. Good on gas at 25-28 miles per gallon and a top-end just over 100 mph.
My Granddad was a Chevy dealer in Jersey City NJ- I remember playing in Corvairs on the showroom floor when I was a little kid (born in 1960). IMHO it's the most wonderful American car ever produced- the American Porsche (Corsa/Monza models)! After owning a 62 fuelie Vette, a 55 Healey, a 63 Avanti, and now a 95 Miata, this is still my bucket list car.
It would be really informative to mention all the different and radical body styles available in the Corvair lineup. They offered a 2 door coupe, 4 door sedan, wagon, and rampside pickup truck variants. All were somewhat revolutionary designs for the time.
I had 3 of them when I was young, They were all Monzas 65-66. They were not underpowered compared to the Chey II or the ford falcons 6 cylinders. the 110 Hp could easily outperform them. On a windy twisty bumpy road no pony car could keep up, with me they might catch you if the straightway was long enough though. However, the Corsa version with 30 more HP could easily challenge the pony cars with standard V8's in acceleration and of course, handling was no contest for the Corvair over them. Too bad they had to be discontinued. Thanks for the great memories of the past.
I had a Glacier Blue 69 Monza #5056, unfortunately it was totalled by two rear end drivers. Now I have a 1966 Monza 4 door hardtop, great highway car 😎
Fantastic video. 14:20 - that's exactly what my dad advised when i drove our 65 Monza convertible - keep an eye on the gen/fan lights - and he taught me how to reposition/replace the belt. I had several opportunities to practice the skill :-). The car had a 2spd powerglide but after a few episodes of it overheating and failing, we rebuilt the engine and dropped in a 4 speed from a 66 donor car. 1966 gearboxes were stronger. He also put in four primary carburetors versus the two primary and two secondary carb setup it originally came with, which reduced the gas mileage but made it get up and go, and climb hills effortlessly.
Enjoyed the review. I had a '62 wagon. Surprised you didn't comment more on the styling. This was one of Bill Mitchell's best designs. There is no viewing angle where this car looks bad.
I had a base 500 3 spd 95 hp. The vinyl bench seat was the biggest drawback until I found a nice pair of used Audi buckets. I pulled the back seat out and carpeted everything, over the base rubber flooring. The car had awesome space which was great during college, hauling all my belongings on long trips. It would pull a boat or utility trailer, hold a sailboat on a roof rack, what a great car.
Despite Ralph Nader's objections the late-model Corvair was a brilliant piece of engineering and a good performing sporty car. It also was'nt inherently unsafe.
The fact that Nader gave GM trouble made GM change the Corvair and make it a lot better. The 65-69 Corvairs were good handing cars compared to the 59-64 models.
VW Beetles had the same axles but didn't suffer the negativity the Corvair did. Nader was trying to make a point, that GM and other manufacturers cut costs in areas of safety, ie: lack of seat belts, suspension limiting straps, etc. If this car had a bigger twin turboed engine putting out 300-400 horsepower it would have blown the Mustangs out of the water and went on to affect future design.
@@robertpoudrette4483 Ralph's book "Unsafe At Any Speed" came out AFTER the introduction of the '65 model- he had nothing to do with the improvements. I will grant you, however, that he DID significantly draw attention to safety issues for ALL American cars.
I'm a Corvair fan. I took my driver's license road test in a borrowed 1964 Monza (brand new - that's how old I am). Then, my first car was a 1960 base model Corvair coupe with a 3-speed, floor-mounted manual (unsynchronized 1st gear). It was probably the dog you described the early models to be, but to 16 year-old me, it was a sweet car and I had no trouble with the handling. Then, a few years later, in college, I bought a 1966 turbo Corsa. That was the high watermark of Corvair. It was slow off a standing start, but when the turbo spooled up in 2nd gear, it was fast - and straight-line acceleration was best in 3rd gear. Steering was light and sure - you could toss it around without any drama - my only complaint was the number of turns lock-to-lock. I looked into the quick steering arms but never pulled the trigger - my bad. My solution to the front-to-back weight distribution was to always keep the gas tank full (it is in the front) not the easiest thing to do on a college student's budget but it helped tremendously. I traded it in on a 1969 Mustang - the greatest "do-over" regret of my life.
I raced Corvairs for several years. Started with the 110hp 1964 Monza, then added a '66 turbo convert. I have several 1st place trophies in gymkhana, rally, hill climb and ice racing. The Corvair separated the most competent, on the edge and aggresive type drivers from the easy, safe Mustang and Camaro types.
Great video! I can geek out about Corvairs for days, but I'll try and stay focused! The exhaust is custom on this car, with holes made in the body. The only factory exhaust system that came with body modifications was the turbocharged cars, and only on the right side. So, if you like the exhaust on this car, you have to modify the body. Yes, the sedans have more space in the rear, and have bigger more comfortable rear seat bottoms. I have early models, late models and Forward Controls! I have a blast driving my early models, late models and my forward controls. I have to admit I do push my '65 500 sedan and my '65 Corsa convertible harder than my earlies on the curves! I absolutely love Corvairs! Overall the Corvair Family is filled with enthusiastic and wonderful people!
Johnny which is your favorite, the '65 sedan or the '65 vert? I'm starting to think about adding one of these to the stable. I had such a blast in my friends 66 vert, but the sedan looks so sweet.
@@zonoscopePictures That's a hard choice! I love them both. I do indeed think cruising topless during the warm season is awesome. Listening to that wonderful 140HP purring like a kitten! Although of my fleet of Corvairs, I'd have to say I drive my 1961 Monza sedan and my 1965 500 sedan the most! One of my best friends added a '66 Monza sedan to his Corvair fleet, after spending time with me and my '65 sedan!
@@markcrampton5549 You're absolutely right, 140HP had factory dual exhaust. The exhaust did not require body modifications, like this car in the video!
The '65 and up Corvair was a very good car ... many of the complaints were solved with the fully independent rear suspension which transformed the car into a European car fighter par excellence. Mine was hopped up with a 4 barrel carb, headers, 7qt oil pan (oil is cooling on this car), 15 inch wheels with wide tires and metallic brake linings. All of which was pretty good and it was - as many have said - a poor man's Porsche. It was inexpensive, fun to drive, and pretty practical.
@@Tomh821 I got side tracked by life and just got it delivered about 6 days ago, just before Christmas. They didn't send the keys so now I'm waiting on them, but I'm going through the whole car first. Now that you have mentioned it disc brakes would be nice.
@@soapbxprod Once I feel comfortable and sure that it is completely road ready I will first take it on a trip of 100 or so miles. Eventually I'd like to take it cross country.
I ran 26 lbs. rear AND FRONT. Worked beautifully. Much more responsive steering. The low front high rear pressure was to make the car Feel more conventional.
Glad to hear about a '67 Monza! I've been around Corvairs all my life, and have seen very few '67s and '68s at events. '69s have been gaining popularity, but it seems that the 67/68s are less seen or talked about. Keep on Vairing!
Big changes to the Corvair's suspension were made starting with 1965........However, I owned 64 Corvair Spyder I bought new in 64, and it handled great IMO.....
my inlaw just pulled a chevy corvair out of a field . it was parked there 40 years ago in good shape and still running. is there anyone interested in such a auto. I remember there were corvair clubs are they still around
If GM weren't so cheap,n and introduce half baked cars and making them better before they cancel them, the Corvair would likely be a 911 competitor. Imagine that car with an intercooled and injected twin turbo and 4 valve heads! Wait, that's a 911... It still would have been awesome!
My first car was a '65 Monza that I got for $500 in 1970. I loved in and later had a '62 coupe as well as a '62 convertible. Great review, and it brought back a lot of good memories.
My mother worked for Chevrolet and got a 1961 Corvair that I often drove. It was a good car and we had only two problems with it - while crossing a rough RR crossing, the motor mounts broke and the engine dropped - causing the car to go full throttle. I was driving at the time and I managed to get it to a Chevy dealer. After "repair", the car drove fine for a couple of weeks until A couple of the mounts broke again. Turns out the dealer had used the wrong class/strength bolts in the repair. Later, after marriage, and while in graduate school I needed to upgrade from a motorcycle to a car. I found a 1964 Corvair convertible that had no rust - just fading paint. The car was a 4-speed manual and ran fairly well. I found a guy in town that specialized in Corvairs and had him do a tuneup. After that, the car was a beast and fun to drive. One comment about the video - War Damn Eagle and Beat Bama!!!!!😁😁
My mom introduced my dad to some friends of hers that owned Corvairs in the 1970s. He got bitten by the bug and bought five junkers, tore them apart, and rebuilt a '66 Monza 110 (w/flat 4 tranny) for Mom and a '65 Corsa 140 (also w/ flat 4 tranny) in 1979. He was USAF and got orders to go to Aviano, Italy. The Corsa got parked at his parents' house and the Monza got shipped to Italy as our car. It was not small by any definition the Italians had. Mom said the Corvairs drove great if you put a bag of cement or two in the front. Then again, Mom also drove school busses for a living. Sadly, the cars were parked in the mid 80's. The Monza was parked for mechanical issues and not being practical, and I don't know why the Corsa was parked, other than Dad's attention may have been elsewhere. Dad still has both cars, but they're not doing good in the AZ heat. I had asked for the Monza as my first car, but Mom wouldn't "let a teen driver (or any first driver) have a car that fast." Now, I'm almost 50 and my kid has left home for college. Sadly, it's the trifecta of Money, Space, and Time that I don't have, but the cars need.
Not mentioned in this video was the incredible difference between today's tires and the bias-ply tires of the 1960s. At that time, Michelin was just introducing radial tires to the U.S. market. Under cornering loads, a radial tire does a much better job of keeping its tread on the pavement than a bias ply tire. With a swing axle's camber change under hard cornering, this deficiency was very significant. In the rain, it was difficult to keep the rear of the first generation cars behind you under cornering or, even worse, cornering and braking. Most American cars of the time understeered massively; this car oversteered. Yes, the VW Beetle had the same swing axle/ rear engine setup; and lots of people rolled their Beetles even at low speeds on dry pavement. Mercedes-Brenz of that era also had a swing axle, but not the rear weight bias. The 1965 and later Corvairs were truly nice and had eliminated these vices.
I purchased my first Corvair in 1963 and have had numerous ones since. The first one I purchased was a 1963 Spyder and I ran autocross for one year and completely wore it out. It was a fabulous handler and I got several trophies in the DC area during the mid 60's. It would run. I also purchased a 1964 Monza and took it to Italy for a two year tour. It ran great while I was there and I brought it back home with me and drove it to San Antonio where I sold it in 1968. I have a 1962 Turbo now which I show. Get lots of comments on it and some wonder what it is. You may say that I am a Corvair nut and you may be correct. It is really nice to go to a car show and be the only one there. I have never owned a 65 or later but I have outrun several in my time. Great car.
Great video! My son and I actually purchased a '65 Corvair four speed and got it running with a new engine. We sold it off and I'm now thinking of this again. I miss the simple flat six.
This vid is very well done👍👍Ya, the rear stabilization was dangerous as mentioned as were pre 66 VW Bugs as well as the Corvette Stingrays etc/pre 88 I believe. This car is a great looker and I bet not cheap these days. The 140 HP version would be fairly quick version with the weight mentioned/geared properly. Back in the day I had a 86 MR2 1.6 litre with a factory 115 HP and comming in at around 2250 lbs according to my insurance company - I think Toyota mahavece cheated a wee bit at their stated 2450 lbs. It would constantly do 0 - 100 kph in 8.6 seconds with a top speed of about 205 KPH, Yep I did do that and still had 200 rpm to go. This Corvair is a true Classic👍👍
Broke that fan belt on a trip one day. The gas station attendent asked what it was off of, a washing machine? From that day forward it was dubbed "The Maytag". It was a good little car.
The 1961 Pontiac Tempest had the same suspension and transaxle. It had a reputation for wheel tuck and oversteer despite 50/50 weight distribution. It could be made to handle with a lot of modifications. In 1963 Pontiac remade the semi-trailing arms on the swing axle to be more of a trailing arm and they handled better in stock form than a modified 1961. It is a shame that Chevy didn't use that design for 1963/1964.
I bought a 1966 Chevy Corvair Moza a couple of months ago, 110 horsepower with a 4 speed manual. I've got the factory AC and AM/FM radio as well. Although, I need to get them both working. Man is it such a smooth riding car and I absolutely love driving it around. It's a beautiful looking car, it sounds great, and everyone is always curious about that Boxer 6 cylinder.
This is totally SWEET man! Takes me back to my beater back in the day ran 9's in the quarter and lifted the front wheels down half track but that was cuz I added the roots blower off a GreyHound onto the air cooled helicopter motor in my old Tucker in the 90's... it was a screamer!
I had a 1963 Monza when I was 16. The best car of my youth. The late models (65-69) have a great body style. The front fenders with the ridge on top reminds me of a 63-67 Stingray. The rear quarteres, although slope downward reminds me of a 67-68 Camaro. The roof line with the sloped "C: pillars is very sporty. Just a great all around design. One thing that is rarely mentioned is the fuel mileage. Since the Corvair had a much smaller six cylinder engine than the traditional cast iron liquid cooled six cylinders found in the Chevy II and others it provided extremely high fuel mileage. My 110 HP was fantasitc on fuel, while the traditional six cylinder gave a lot less in fuel economy.
Having owned a few Corvairs I can say they were great driving cars. Way back then, I found they performed better with wider profile tires, with 14" wheels in the rear, and 13" wheels in front. My 68 Corsa convertible was eye catching and the turbo charged motor would give early Mustangs and Camaros a run for their money. Here in Canada with the motor in back, they had good traction, The heater was not the best, but not bad.
Bought a brand new ‘65 Corsa w/180 turbo and 4-speed in late ‘64. Got drafted a year later and had to sell it. To this day, even though I’ve been fortunate enough over the years to own some of the top cars ever built, I still miss that Corvair. Handling was simply superb! Ralph Nader was a rabble-rouser.
Had a 65 in college in 2014 that Was my daily driver. Heat was never an issue it was always boiling so crack a window or foot vent for a few seconds and you’re fine. but you smell like exhaust and oil at the end of a trip. Highway driving was great! After adjusting some linkage 70-90 on the highway felt like a breeze! I would usually get about 25 mpg at 75mph. Always keep an extra fan belt with you! Super easy to work on!
@@Mrfrenchdeux I have to prove nothing to you. You can go on and read any the Corvair forms and they get 25 plus MPG. How about you run your own test go get yourself a 65 Corvair with a rebuilt 110 engine and two speed powerglide transmission tell me what kind of gas mileage you get.
I think the 65-69 models are beautiful cars. And my first car was a 66 Corsa Convertible Turbo. The dash was awesome in this model. Big Tach matched the speedometer. It had a manifold pressure gauge. Labeled as such.
Well written and spoken. Uncertain about the ending conversation but proves a conversation can take indeed take place with windows open and at some speed.
A couple of things; the '65+ redesign & refresh were planned well before the Camaro was envisioned: that much should be apparent from the styling of the '67 Camaro being lifted directly from the late model Corvair. To that end, you might want to tell the owner of the '66 you tested that the front air dam for the '67 Camaro bolts right up to a late model Corvair and will improve the highway handling & mileage, since it was designed as an accessory for the Corvair in the first place. 😉 BTW, in 1971 the NHTSA finally completed an investigation into Nader's claims about the early model Corvair and concluded it wasn't significantly different from any of its peers at that time (ie, they ALL sucked, by modern standards!) & was essentially identical to that of the VW Beetle, which never received such notoriety.
Mom and Dad had one just like the one in the video! Same color! Dad said he never experienced any of the handling problems libby Nader wrote about and Mom said it was great in the snow when climbing hills. Dad told me he got rid of it because it leaked oil all the time. I can't still remember Dad folding down the rear seat for those trips to the beach with myself and my brother and sister.
"Libby" Nader was compensated well for his efforts by a competitor. The threat of the "revolution" and not "evolution" was more competition than they thought their "pony" could withstand. therefore, the hillary clinton style "russian collusion" attacks coordinated with the 'media'... (the launching of a new magazine and the supporting network)
Oil leaks were mostly, if not all but entirely due to push-rod tube "O-rings". Not a quick easy fix but not the worst thing either with a little patience & a shop manual. Did a set myself once. AND, modern materials are much longer lasting at high cyl head temps than the rubber GM was using back in the day...
14:15 The belts are not prone to slipping off under normal driving conditions if correctly tensioned. You tighten it until you can just barely turn the alternator/generator fan with 1 or 2 fingers. People see the odd belt routing and get scared by it, leading to a tendency to crank them down way too tight. This in turn causes belt snapping and slippage.
I had a 2-door 1966 Marina Blue Corvair with stick shift, 4 on the floor, black leather seats. Loved that car. Handled like a poor man's Porsche. Started to leak oil and had to sell it in 1970.
Good friends of ours when I was growing up had a new maroon '63 Corvair Monza convertible with a 4-speed stick, loaded with every possible accessory including factory A/C. They only kept it a couple of years, but for me as a kid, it was a fun ride.
My first car was a 66’ Monza. I loved that car. I drove it like it was a Porsche. I could toss the car thru a corner, not all crossed up as seen today, but a nice controllable four wheel drift. I just wish it was built with 200 hp. Mine had 14” Crager magnesium wheels as seen in this video. Also on it were two Cherry Bomb mufflers. It looked great and sounded great. I wish I had one today.
Growing up, our family had a 64 Monza convertible, later on I had a 66 Corsa convertible. My Mom worked at a tire store and was given a free set of Michelin radials, it was funny seeing mechanics shake their heads when my five foot and a bit mom tried to tell them the tires weren't flat. ;-D I read about successfully mounting a Tornado drive train "behind" the rear seat (notch for a pulley) of a second generation Corvair. Seeing that I thought about a transverse front wheel drive V6, then saw a video of someone using a Fiero drivetrain. ;-)
Idiot light for fan/alt/ belt failure: Wire a $4 buzzer, beeper, etc in parallel with the light. I do it on ALL oil pressure lights. Will get your attention.
my dad Herman Heins was a corvair mechanic we ran them for years we had convertables too we used take us 4 kids mom and dad to northampton all my childhood i grew up in these little monsters see dad souped them up big time i miss him something terrible! G_d love you Dad and Frankie Young of Gloversville some aweome people in thier time
I had the 65 Monza 110. It was perfect. The year was 1995. The factory blue and chrome. The seatbelt buckles were body by Fisher and so impressive to look at. The interior was flawless. It is my true regret for selling. Low and gliding I would drive around Campbell River Bc . That’s on Vancouver Island . I had so many people ask me about the.car even at a stop sign. No rust, no dents. Trim was perfect. Regrets.
Still the most exotic car made in the USA turbo in 1962 ! Porsche did not have 1 till 1976 and did not have a 6 till 1965? and the Yenko out handle the Corvette oooh!!! do not say it aint so.
My first car was a 1963 VW Beetle with a 110 hp Corvair engine by way of a Crown adapter. Later on I got a 140 hp from the junk yard and that was cool. Had a aftermarket fiberglass hood with two air scoops to cover the longer engine. I miss that car, it was orange. We named it "Bug parts and Rat hairs"
I really enjoyed this report . Guy has a great voice for it . One comment , Corvair pronounce like Corvette. I own eight of them and I NEVER heard anyone back then pronounce it the way this youngster does. I learned to drive in a 62 and coming from go-karting never had a problem with cornering. Guess I just had the touch. Cleaned up against Trimph tr3s and the like.
Almost bought one in '65 . Really liked the looks . Talk to sales staff and they took me to the holding compound where they keep the new cars EVERY Corvair had about three inches of water on the floor . Their salutation was to drill holes through the floor boards to drain the water . Bought a V8 Valiant instead . The Plymouth had 180 hp , a friend bought turbo Corvair , same horsepower , I could beat him off the line , but once his turbo spooled up he would fly by
The Corvair was a car ahead of its time. Ralph Nader’s book “Unsafe at Any Speed” made the last generation Corvair quite possibly one of the best cars Chevrolet ever produced. Timeless beauty. One of my favorites🇺🇸
I survived owning a 65 Monza! It was such a great handling car, I took way too many chances in it! As an engineering student, I could not resist modifying it for better performance: John Fitch quick steering arms, hydraulic steering damper, heavy duty shocks, performance brake linings, Lucas Flamethrower headlamps, and Michelin X tires. A real weapon on the mountain roads here in Eastern Tennessee. Drove that way for over 100,000 miles - tough little car!
I own a 65 Corsa 140 with Crown suspension. I hope one day to put it back together. I bought it out of Texas as a basket case. It would be fun on the Dragon, the backside, and other roads. We're hoping to get 300 HP out of three liters. I gotta find three barrel manifolds, and build headers.
My first car was a 1965 Corvair, It was red. The 65's looked just like the one in this video.
I was 16 in 1969, the year I bought it. Of course being 16, though I had a job, I didn't have all the money to buy a car so I begged my oldest brother to lend me around $1,000. He happened to be in Vietnam from January of '69 until he got out of the Army in late December. So I wrote a Dear Roger letter and waited a couple of weeks for a reply. He wrote me back and said since Uncle Sam was paying his expenses at the moment he could spare the cash. He wired the money to a drug store where we lived and I went shopping for my first car. Thinking about it now, no one went with me, not my Father or my next older brother. Just a 16 year old kid and a used car dealer! What could go wrong. 51 years later the used car dealer isn't in the same location, but it's still in business, and still owned by the same family.
I loved the car. Driving it was fun, especially in the Fall when leaves were on or near the edge of the road. The air from the cooling fan went down through the rear and out. It blew those leaves around like crazy making it look like you were going way faster than you were! I don't recall any serious problems with it. The one thing I didn't like about it was, like all air cooled cars,....it was cold as hell in the Winter, especially on those trips too short to give it the time it took to actually warm up, like going to high school!
The red Corvair Monza I bought was 4 years old , had under 40,000 miles and cost me $600. I was making just over a buck an hour at the time so $600 may sound cheap today but it was real money then.
Whenever I get on the subject of first cars with anyone I tell this story, probably because I like to brag about what a great brother I have. I always end it by saying I saved him $400 by not spending all the money he lent me.
By the way when I tried to pay him back a year later, he told me to forget it.
I have a terrific oldest brother.
GREAT story. Your brother was really generous, especially considering he was in Vietnam at the time! I was a little kid back when these Corvairs were all around. A couple of neighbors up the street had them, one as the sole family car, believe it or not. Just five years old but already drawn to cars I noticed that these rear-engined cars were almost always all sooty black at the rear, no matter if the chunky '60-'64s or the sleek second generation.
close to 30 dollars an hour you were making at 16? WTF
Very inspiring story , Sir. Brotherly Love is Olympic Gold! Thank you for sharing your story , I am really inspired to lend my brother some money now. 🙏
Kudos to your brother. I'd do the same for my brother.
Imagine where that flat 6 would be technology wise if GM had any brains at all.
This car never ages in style, it would be the best-looking battery powered car by far! The E-Vair, nice name too.
I love the is video! I rewatched it several times because it is full of valuable information.
Thanks, Atomic Automobile!
I love these cars just look at those lines it is beautiful !
A fair and good review from a different generation perspective, good job. I learned to drive on my mom's 1960. When I was financially capable of buying my own car I test drove a Fitch Sprint Corvair and while I couldn't afford that car it did lead to a 1965 Corvair Corsa 140hp w/4sp. Loved that car and when I got out of the service I got a 66 Corsa and modified to copy the Fitch Sprint suspension and engine mods and owned that car for 22 years. BTW, while in the Air Force I bought a 1962 Corvair window van camper conversion. I miss those cars.
Man do i wish we would have kept them, who knew !!!!!
My 66 Corsa 140 4 carb was a great car. I hope whoever has it now enjoys it!
I had several Corvairs. My 1964 was the one I drove the most and owned the longest. Not one single time did this car scare me or handle poorly. It was a joy to drive on twisting roads.
Although the '64 still used the early swing-axle arrangement the addition of standard front anti-roll bar and the transverse leaf across the rear gave greatly improved handling & safety & even improved the ride as well.
To car companies who count every fraction of a cent, I know it was added expense but chances are if they had done them all like that from day one there would have been a rather insignificant number of complaints. Might never have even come up on Ralph Nader's "radar".
The Corvair was supposedly later "exonerated" but it was a point well made here that drivers of Mustangs & other similar cars didn't seem to be involved in a such an unusually high number of bizarre one-car accidents. I knew a number of people with 1st gen cars though who never seemed to have any problems. I owned a 2nd gen & it was a great little car!
i believe fox news anchor tucker edgur drove one as a daily in high school as a family heirloom from his mother/1st-owner it's white if my/2000-13-era memory servers me correctly and i used to tease him not to park next to me ( 300/tj 2005-families or my k1500-80's/old/2gen-charger/ see love old USA 🇺🇸 and 🇬🇧 autos 😉) or being on the same road-same-time lolz 😂
his family loved it/later60's-model and straightened me out on the facts that yes its not the safest car/stinger-GT ever made but Ralph mostly over did it and or used the pinto/corvar as a goat for slander to make a good point's that are based in a validated reasoning against governments and management/manufacturing
ps he was the first one of my southern Idaho classmates to get a ticket(/in trouble for something) for speeding so it must have handled okay for a 20+mph fine ( 60-80mph on a back pavement-farming roads ) and not noticing your over ect
I had a 64 Corvair Spyder. It was turbocharged and had a 4-speed manual transmission, I Liked it a lot. One of the problems Nader talked about was worsened by gas station attendants and sometimes ever Corvair owners who failed to adhere to the owners manual institutions for air pressure in the front tires (15 psi and back tires 25 psi) being so different, and and they aired them up to 25-30 all around, That ruined the great handling of the car and made it unstable at high speeds and in especially cornering.
The tire pressure was higher in the rear becasue the engine was in the back, making the rear a lot heavier than the front.
This tire pressure requirement was in the owners manual...................
This has to be the best overview of the Corvair I’ve ever seen. Thorough explanation of the different models , and their various engines, levels of trim and suspension setups. Kudos.
Thanks for the nice thought. I read all of these and it makes my day when I get one like this.
Yes indeed!
@@atomicautomobile8537 You're terrific! Wonderful review. Thank you!
My first car was a 62 Monza. 102hp with a four speed. Faster in a quarter mile and top end than my friends 65 Mustang with a 260 cid V8. My wife's first car was a 65 Monza with two speed auto and 110hp. Great memories! Thanks for the video.
13:30 The Corvair always had a heater, however, it was via engine heat and ducting that went to the interior. It was effective, but needed care in maintenance in order to keep the proper sealing to the system and not suck exhaust fumes into the system. The gas heaters you referred to were optional and ran on the same tank as the engine, but were also effective, if not over-effective. 14:25 The belt tension is the key in retaining the belt: adjust the tension so that you can just spin the alternator pulley when the engine is cold. No more thrown belts.
Good to know. Do the heat exchangers rust out? Is anyone making stainless after market parts ??
@@zonoscopePictures The narrator wrongly states that the Corvair has a heat exchanger; there's a heat "distribution box" which directs the heat off the engine directly into the passenger compartment via ducting. Consumer's Reports did an in-depth study of the Corvair direct-air heater and in a 1971 issue concluded that the heater is inherently dangerous and that the cars should have been recalled. Ralph Nader in Unsafe at Any Speed also touched upon this subject matter, stating that this type of heater was outlawed in helicopters in the 1950's.
After a couple years the heater chambers on the engine would lose their containment and motor oil would get into the Heater plumbing on both sides like the VW so you could smell the engine big time. As the engine warmed up the oil fumes got worse and came into the cockpit. You could take off the shrouding and clean it what a pain in the arse that was ! Once I used engine cleaner and oven cleaner to clean it up. Terrible idea cause now it smelled so bad that I could not drive it
My family returned our '65 to the dealer a year or two after we bought it and after their excellent mechanic replaced the pushrod seals there was no more oil leakage from the motor and no exhaust manifold leaks in 120k miles. I had the factory service manual but it never mentioned slippage allowed on the alternator pulley. Wish I had known then. Probably replaced a belt every 10k mi.
Ben Beckley nailed it. The real problem with the direct air heater was that the pushrods went through metal tubes right next to the exhaust manifolds. These tubes were sealed by rubber O-rings to keep engine oil inside the engine. The rubber originally used couldn't take the long-term exposure to the heat of the exhaust manifolds and would eventually harden and crack and then oil would leak and drip onto the exhaust manifolds and the resultant blue smoke would be blown into the passenger compartment by the heater. Dupont developed "Viton" rubber and has been used in O-rings in Corvair engines by enthusiasts ever since its introduction, solving that particular problem.
I drove a 1967 4 door with 5 people in it 600 miles from Kalamazoo Michigan to MTU in Houghton Michigan back and forth every other weekend in the winter of 1972-1973. I had 4 cement blocks in the bonnet to help steering in deep snow. Many times we found ourselves traveling thru 6-10 inches of snow that winter. Loved that car, yet you either had defrost for the windshield or a little bit of cabin warmth. Good on gas at 25-28 miles per gallon and a top-end just over 100 mph.
My Granddad was a Chevy dealer in Jersey City NJ- I remember playing in Corvairs on the showroom floor when I was a little kid (born in 1960). IMHO it's the most wonderful American car ever produced- the American Porsche (Corsa/Monza models)! After owning a 62 fuelie Vette, a 55 Healey, a 63 Avanti, and now a 95 Miata, this is still my bucket list car.
It would be really informative to mention all the different and radical body styles available in the Corvair lineup. They offered a 2 door coupe, 4 door sedan, wagon, and rampside pickup truck variants. All were somewhat revolutionary designs for the time.
I had 3 of them when I was young, They were all Monzas 65-66. They were not underpowered compared to the Chey II or the ford falcons 6 cylinders. the 110 Hp could easily outperform them. On a windy twisty bumpy road no pony car could keep up, with me they might catch you if the straightway was long enough though. However, the Corsa version with 30 more HP could easily challenge the pony cars with standard V8's in acceleration and of course, handling was no contest for the Corvair over them.
Too bad they had to be discontinued. Thanks for the great memories of the past.
Just picked up a 65 Monza 110. Great video summing this car up!
Wonderful car. The 60s had the greatest designs ever.
I have 1969 monza, fantastic car !
You have one of the last ! A real treasure !!!!!
I had a Glacier Blue 69 Monza #5056, unfortunately it was totalled by two rear end drivers. Now I have a 1966 Monza 4 door hardtop, great highway car 😎
This was a 30 minute video and it felt like 10. You have done an excellent job on this, and I wish you the best of luck.
Thanks, that's really nice of you to say and I appreciate it. I will continue making the videos.
Fantastic video. 14:20 - that's exactly what my dad advised when i drove our 65 Monza convertible - keep an eye on the gen/fan lights - and he taught me how to reposition/replace the belt. I had several opportunities to practice the skill :-). The car had a 2spd powerglide but after a few episodes of it overheating and failing, we rebuilt the engine and dropped in a 4 speed from a 66 donor car. 1966 gearboxes were stronger. He also put in four primary carburetors versus the two primary and two secondary carb setup it originally came with, which reduced the gas mileage but made it get up and go, and climb hills effortlessly.
Enjoyed the review. I had a '62 wagon. Surprised you didn't comment more on the styling. This was one of Bill Mitchell's best designs. There is no viewing angle where this car looks bad.
I had a base 500 3 spd 95 hp. The vinyl bench seat was the biggest drawback until I found a nice pair of used Audi buckets. I pulled the back seat out and carpeted everything, over the base rubber flooring. The car had awesome space which was great during college, hauling all my belongings on long trips. It would pull a boat or utility trailer, hold a sailboat on a roof rack, what a great car.
A hidden gem on UA-cam.
That is what you are dude.
Thanks man, I really appreciate that. They'll keep coming.
These cars weren't particularly unsafe. It was the average American's ignorance that was unsafe.
Despite Ralph Nader's objections the late-model Corvair was a brilliant piece of engineering and a good performing sporty car. It also was'nt inherently unsafe.
The fact that Nader gave GM trouble made GM change the Corvair and make it a lot better. The 65-69 Corvairs were good handing cars compared to the 59-64 models.
VW Beetles had the same axles but didn't suffer the negativity the Corvair did. Nader was trying to make a point, that GM and other manufacturers cut costs in areas of safety, ie: lack of seat belts, suspension limiting straps, etc. If this car had a bigger twin turboed engine putting out 300-400 horsepower it would have blown the Mustangs out of the water and went on to affect future design.
@@Lhenry-pf5zn But you could order belts and limiting straps. GM was not trying to kill their customers. What sense would that make?
@@robertpoudrette4483 Ralph's book "Unsafe At Any Speed" came out AFTER the introduction of the '65 model- he had nothing to do with the improvements. I will grant you, however, that he DID significantly draw attention to safety issues for ALL American cars.
Great review of a beautiful piece of history, guys!
I'm a Corvair fan. I took my driver's license road test in a borrowed 1964 Monza (brand new - that's how old I am). Then, my first car was a 1960 base model Corvair coupe with a 3-speed, floor-mounted manual (unsynchronized 1st gear). It was probably the dog you described the early models to be, but to 16 year-old me, it was a sweet car and I had no trouble with the handling. Then, a few years later, in college, I bought a 1966 turbo Corsa. That was the high watermark of Corvair. It was slow off a standing start, but when the turbo spooled up in 2nd gear, it was fast - and straight-line acceleration was best in 3rd gear. Steering was light and sure - you could toss it around without any drama - my only complaint was the number of turns lock-to-lock. I looked into the quick steering arms but never pulled the trigger - my bad. My solution to the front-to-back weight distribution was to always keep the gas tank full (it is in the front) not the easiest thing to do on a college student's budget but it helped tremendously. I traded it in on a 1969 Mustang - the greatest "do-over" regret of my life.
Great video! I own a 1966 Monza Sport Sedan 4 door hardtop with factory air conditioning. These cars were the best handling of 1966 American cars.
I have a 63’ Monza 900 Coupe and it’s so much fun to drive!
I raced Corvairs for several years. Started with the 110hp 1964 Monza, then added a '66 turbo convert. I have several 1st place trophies in gymkhana, rally, hill climb and ice racing. The Corvair separated the most competent, on the edge and aggresive type drivers from the easy, safe Mustang and Camaro types.
Great video! I can geek out about Corvairs for days, but I'll try and stay focused! The exhaust is custom on this car, with holes made in the body. The only factory exhaust system that came with body modifications was the turbocharged cars, and only on the right side. So, if you like the exhaust on this car, you have to modify the body. Yes, the sedans have more space in the rear, and have bigger more comfortable rear seat bottoms. I have early models, late models and Forward Controls! I have a blast driving my early models, late models and my forward controls. I have to admit I do push my '65 500 sedan and my '65 Corsa convertible harder than my earlies on the curves! I absolutely love Corvairs! Overall the Corvair Family is filled with enthusiastic and wonderful people!
Johnny which is your favorite, the '65 sedan or the '65 vert? I'm starting to think about adding one of these to the stable. I had such a blast in my friends 66 vert, but the sedan looks so sweet.
@@zonoscopePictures That's a hard choice! I love them both. I do indeed think cruising topless during the warm season is awesome. Listening to that wonderful 140HP purring like a kitten! Although of my fleet of Corvairs, I'd have to say I drive my 1961 Monza sedan and my 1965 500 sedan the most! One of my best friends added a '66 Monza sedan to his Corvair fleet, after spending time with me and my '65 sedan!
140 hp engine had duel exhaust from factory I bought one brand new in 1966!Same color as car In video
@@markcrampton5549 You're absolutely right, 140HP had factory dual exhaust. The exhaust did not require body modifications, like this car in the video!
I’m convinced. You’re the reason why I’m going to get one now. Thank you for the great review
Me too. I'm I'm getting a 66 convertible from a friend for only $1,500. It needs work, but it's drivable.
You’ll have so much driving it!
The '65 and up Corvair was a very good car ... many of the complaints were solved with the fully independent rear suspension which transformed the car into a European car fighter par excellence. Mine was hopped up with a 4 barrel carb, headers, 7qt oil pan (oil is cooling on this car), 15 inch wheels with wide tires and metallic brake linings. All of which was pretty good and it was - as many have said - a poor man's Porsche. It was inexpensive, fun to drive, and pretty practical.
I really appreciate this review. I'm picking up a 66 Monza convertible in a couple weeks from now. You've made me really excite about it.
What are you going to do on the car? Disc brakes?
See the USA in your CHEVROLET! The most beautiful Chevy ever... :)
@@Tomh821 And dual master cylinder would be a smart idea
@@Tomh821 I got side tracked by life and just got it delivered about 6 days ago, just before Christmas. They didn't send the keys so now I'm waiting on them, but I'm going through the whole car first. Now that you have mentioned it disc brakes would be nice.
@@soapbxprod Once I feel comfortable and sure that it is completely road ready I will first take it on a trip of 100 or so miles. Eventually I'd like to take it cross country.
I ran 26 lbs. rear AND FRONT. Worked beautifully. Much more responsive steering. The low front high rear pressure was to make the car Feel more conventional.
This is a solid and informative review. I love this car and really appreciate your opinions and input into this video.
Nicely done and great observations! I'm working on a '67 Monza 140 4-speed now.
Glad to hear about a '67 Monza! I've been around Corvairs all my life, and have seen very few '67s and '68s at events. '69s have been gaining popularity, but it seems that the 67/68s are less seen or talked about. Keep on Vairing!
Not many 140 monzas were made. Way to go !
The absolute BEST of all Corvairs! :)
I had a 65 Corsa turbo 4-speed in 71 and wish I still had it. Handled better than my brother's 65 Sting Ray.
WAY better! I love Vettes, but a 65 Corsa is a National treasure.
Big changes to the Corvair's suspension were made starting with 1965........However, I owned 64 Corvair Spyder I bought new in 64, and it handled great IMO.....
Great video! Always refreshing to see new Corvair content coming out these days! Cheers!
my inlaw just pulled a chevy corvair out of a field . it was parked there 40 years ago in good shape and still running. is there anyone interested in such a auto. I remember there were corvair clubs are they still around
My first car was a 65 Monza. 110 hp 4 speed. Loved that car. I wish I still had it. I ran wide 14 inch tires on the rear and 13 inch on the front.
had a 65 monza 110 pg 2 door....loved the dash and traction in the snow....
Well done review.Driver's perspective and comments informative.Bravo.
I came across a ‘65 Corvair in great condition for cheap, and this video helped me a lot.
They were great in the snow, like a VW at the time.
Imagine how it would have evolved it they had continued to make this car ? The lines are timless
After a sixty year evolution, It would awesome!
If GM weren't so cheap,n and introduce half baked cars and making them better before they cancel them, the Corvair would likely be a 911 competitor. Imagine that car with an intercooled and injected twin turbo and 4 valve heads! Wait, that's a 911... It still would have been awesome!
It's not a truck or an SUV.
@@mrob4357 Unfortunately... You're damned right.
Sales dropped off Could not compete with the Mustang
Great review. I want to drive one first, but seriously considering getting one.
Fezzler61 once you drive one you will be hooked! I have a 1966 monza convertible 140 4 speed and love it!
I have a 1966 Chevy Monza Convertible in showroom condition, 60,000 original miles. Red and white for sale if interested. See new post.
That is one great looking car. Love the color, the wheels and stance.
Beautiful and historically significant!
Absolutely beautiful car. Great review. Subscribed.
My first car was a '65 Monza that I got for $500 in 1970. I loved in and later had a '62 coupe as well as a '62 convertible. Great review, and it brought back a lot of good memories.
My mother worked for Chevrolet and got a 1961 Corvair that I often drove. It was a good car and we had only two problems with it - while crossing a rough RR crossing, the motor mounts broke and the engine dropped - causing the car to go full throttle. I was driving at the time and I managed to get it to a Chevy dealer. After "repair", the car drove fine for a couple of weeks until A couple of the mounts broke again. Turns out the dealer had used the wrong class/strength bolts in the repair.
Later, after marriage, and while in graduate school I needed to upgrade from a motorcycle to a car. I found a 1964 Corvair convertible that had no rust - just fading paint. The car was a 4-speed manual and ran fairly well. I found a guy in town that specialized in Corvairs and had him do a tuneup. After that, the car was a beast and fun to drive.
One comment about the video - War Damn Eagle and Beat Bama!!!!!😁😁
My mom introduced my dad to some friends of hers that owned Corvairs in the 1970s. He got bitten by the bug and bought five junkers, tore them apart, and rebuilt a '66 Monza 110 (w/flat 4 tranny) for Mom and a '65 Corsa 140 (also w/ flat 4 tranny) in 1979. He was USAF and got orders to go to Aviano, Italy. The Corsa got parked at his parents' house and the Monza got shipped to Italy as our car. It was not small by any definition the Italians had.
Mom said the Corvairs drove great if you put a bag of cement or two in the front. Then again, Mom also drove school busses for a living. Sadly, the cars were parked in the mid 80's. The Monza was parked for mechanical issues and not being practical, and I don't know why the Corsa was parked, other than Dad's attention may have been elsewhere. Dad still has both cars, but they're not doing good in the AZ heat. I had asked for the Monza as my first car, but Mom wouldn't "let a teen driver (or any first driver) have a car that fast." Now, I'm almost 50 and my kid has left home for college. Sadly, it's the trifecta of Money, Space, and Time that I don't have, but the cars need.
Not mentioned in this video was the incredible difference between today's tires and the bias-ply tires of the 1960s. At that time, Michelin was just introducing radial tires to the U.S. market. Under cornering loads, a radial tire does a much better job of keeping its tread on the pavement than a bias ply tire. With a swing axle's camber change under hard cornering, this deficiency was very significant. In the rain, it was difficult to keep the rear of the first generation cars behind you under cornering or, even worse, cornering and braking. Most American cars of the time understeered massively; this car oversteered. Yes, the VW Beetle had the same swing axle/ rear engine setup; and lots of people rolled their Beetles even at low speeds on dry pavement. Mercedes-Brenz of that era also had a swing axle, but not the rear weight bias. The 1965 and later Corvairs were truly nice and had eliminated these vices.
I purchased my first Corvair in 1963 and have had numerous ones since. The first one I purchased was a 1963 Spyder and I ran autocross for one year and completely wore it out. It was a fabulous handler and I got several trophies in the DC area during the mid 60's. It would run. I also purchased a 1964 Monza and took it to Italy for a two year tour. It ran great while I was there and I brought it back home with me and drove it to San Antonio where I sold it in 1968. I have a 1962 Turbo now which I show. Get lots of comments on it and some wonder what it is. You may say that I am a Corvair nut and you may be correct. It is really nice to go to a car show and be the only one there. I have never owned a 65 or later but I have outrun several in my time. Great car.
@@donaldbyars862 Did you add a camber compensator to your 62.
Great video! My son and I actually purchased a '65 Corvair four speed and got it running with a new engine. We sold it off and I'm now thinking of this again. I miss the simple flat six.
That car was far ahead of its time.
Fair and balanced review.
This is my favorite car channel now. RCR and Demuro got too big of egos.
Demuro is a con artist anyway.
RCR has ego? LMAo
Demuro has no ego... RCR I agree is full of himself
@@MrJMS814 got the names mixed up there sir
Demuro spends 80% of every video talking about the cupholders,vanity mirror or other stupid things that true car guys don't care about.
This vid is very well done👍👍Ya, the rear stabilization was dangerous as mentioned as were pre 66 VW Bugs as well as the Corvette Stingrays etc/pre 88 I believe. This car is a great looker and I bet not cheap these days. The 140 HP version would be fairly quick version with the weight mentioned/geared properly. Back in the day I had a 86 MR2 1.6 litre with a factory 115 HP and comming in at around 2250 lbs according to my insurance company - I think Toyota mahavece cheated a wee bit at their stated 2450 lbs. It would constantly do 0 - 100 kph in 8.6 seconds with a top speed of about 205 KPH, Yep I did do that and still had 200 rpm to go. This Corvair is a true Classic👍👍
my Dad had a 66 2dr it would fly and take curves and so fun to drive , i sure wish i had it now .
Love this video! The way the narrator speaks reminds me of 'Motor Week'.
He's not pronouncing the word Corvair the right way at all!
Jon Davis
Broke that fan belt on a trip one day. The gas station attendent asked what it was off of, a washing machine? From that day forward it was dubbed "The Maytag". It was a good little car.
I had a 65 Corsa loved it was a blast to drive I-17 from Phx to Flagstaff was not a problem getting up the Mountain
The 1961 Pontiac Tempest had the same suspension and transaxle. It had a reputation for wheel tuck and oversteer despite 50/50 weight distribution. It could be made to handle with a lot of modifications. In 1963 Pontiac remade the semi-trailing arms on the swing axle to be more of a trailing arm and they handled better in stock form than a modified 1961. It is a shame that Chevy didn't use that design for 1963/1964.
Kinda sad that we don’t get these kinda options these days.
I bought a 1966 Chevy Corvair Moza a couple of months ago, 110 horsepower with a 4 speed manual. I've got the factory AC and AM/FM radio as well. Although, I need to get them both working.
Man is it such a smooth riding car and I absolutely love driving it around.
It's a beautiful looking car, it sounds great, and everyone is always curious about that Boxer 6 cylinder.
This is totally SWEET man! Takes me back to my beater back in the day ran 9's in the quarter and lifted the front wheels down half track but that was cuz I added the roots blower off a GreyHound onto the air cooled helicopter motor in my old Tucker in the 90's... it was a screamer!
Nice car! My first car was a 66 Monza with the 140 engine 2spd powerglide, and similar color. Mine was a green turquoise color. Good times!!!
Nice scenic views of Montgomery.
The second generation (1965 tp 1969) presented one of the best looking four door hardtops. The four door ceased production during '67.
I had a 1963 Monza when I was 16. The best car of my youth. The late models (65-69) have a great body style. The front fenders with the ridge on top reminds me of a 63-67 Stingray. The rear quarteres, although slope downward reminds me of a 67-68 Camaro. The roof line with the sloped "C: pillars is very sporty. Just a great all around design.
One thing that is rarely mentioned is the fuel mileage. Since the Corvair had a much smaller six cylinder engine than the traditional cast iron liquid cooled six cylinders found in the Chevy II and others it provided extremely high fuel mileage. My 110 HP was fantasitc on fuel, while the traditional six cylinder gave a lot less in fuel economy.
Having owned a few Corvairs I can say they were great driving cars.
Way back then, I found they performed better with wider profile tires, with 14" wheels in the rear, and 13" wheels in front.
My 68 Corsa convertible was eye catching and the turbo charged motor would give early Mustangs and Camaros a run for their money.
Here in Canada with the motor in back, they had good traction, The heater was not the best, but not bad.
I own a 64 corvair Monza 110 PG and I think it drives and handles great, such a fun car to drive. But now I kinda want a late model 65-69 as well.
Bought a brand new ‘65 Corsa w/180 turbo and 4-speed in late ‘64. Got drafted a year later and had to sell it.
To this day, even though I’ve been fortunate enough over the years to own some of the top cars ever built, I still miss that Corvair. Handling was simply superb! Ralph Nader was a rabble-rouser.
Had a 65 in college in 2014 that Was my daily driver.
Heat was never an issue it was always boiling so crack a window or foot vent for a few seconds and you’re fine. but you smell like exhaust and oil at the end of a trip.
Highway driving was great! After adjusting some linkage 70-90 on the highway felt like a breeze! I would usually get about 25 mpg at 75mph.
Always keep an extra fan belt with you!
Super easy to work on!
" I would usually get about 25 mpg at 75mph. " No, you didn't.
@@Mrfrenchdeux yes I would..so bug off
@@gregoryreinert9629 Ha ha prove it.
@@Mrfrenchdeux I have to prove nothing to you. You can go on and read any the Corvair forms and they get 25 plus MPG.
How about you run your own test go get yourself a 65 Corvair with a rebuilt 110 engine and two speed powerglide transmission tell me what kind of gas mileage you get.
Gregory Reinert 75 mph yes. 25 mpg yes. 25 mpg @ 75 mph no. And I know.
Nice review! I currently own two, a 65 mid-engine V8 and a 66 Monza 140/4 speed AC convert.
I have a '66 Corsa.
I have a 65 Corsa.
I think the 65-69 models are beautiful cars. And my first car was a 66 Corsa Convertible Turbo. The dash was awesome in this model. Big Tach matched the speedometer. It had a manifold pressure gauge. Labeled as such.
Thanks for explaining the instability problems.
So basically these cars were ahead of the time
Comprehensive and well spoken review
Well written and spoken. Uncertain about the ending conversation but proves a conversation can take indeed take place with windows open and at some speed.
Informative and entertaining. Great work.
Glad you enjoyed it!
A couple of things; the '65+ redesign & refresh were planned well before the Camaro was envisioned: that much should be apparent from the styling of the '67 Camaro being lifted directly from the late model Corvair. To that end, you might want to tell the owner of the '66 you tested that the front air dam for the '67 Camaro bolts right up to a late model Corvair and will improve the highway handling & mileage, since it was designed as an accessory for the Corvair in the first place. 😉 BTW, in 1971 the NHTSA finally completed an investigation into Nader's claims about the early model Corvair and concluded it wasn't significantly different from any of its peers at that time (ie, they ALL sucked, by modern standards!) & was essentially identical to that of the VW Beetle, which never received such notoriety.
Mom and Dad had one just like the one in the video! Same color! Dad said he never experienced any of the handling problems libby Nader wrote about and Mom said it was great in the snow when climbing hills. Dad told me he got rid of it because it leaked oil all the time. I can't still remember Dad folding down the rear seat for those trips to the beach with myself and my brother and sister.
"Libby" Nader was compensated well for his efforts by a competitor. The threat of the "revolution" and not "evolution" was more competition than they thought their "pony" could withstand. therefore, the hillary clinton style "russian collusion" attacks coordinated with the 'media'... (the launching of a new magazine and the supporting network)
Oil leaks were mostly, if not all but entirely due to push-rod tube "O-rings". Not a quick easy fix but not the worst thing either with a little patience & a shop manual. Did a set myself once. AND, modern materials are much longer lasting at high cyl head temps than the rubber GM was using back in the day...
Best handling car I ever owned. Plenty of power, would go anywhere, 30+ gas mileage on a 6 cylinder!
14:15 The belts are not prone to slipping off under normal driving conditions if correctly tensioned. You tighten it until you can just barely turn the alternator/generator fan with 1 or 2 fingers.
People see the odd belt routing and get scared by it, leading to a tendency to crank them down way too tight. This in turn causes belt snapping and slippage.
Thanks for the info. I'm getting one in a couple of weeks. I feel better about it now.
I had a 2-door 1966 Marina Blue Corvair with stick shift, 4 on the floor, black leather seats. Loved that car. Handled like a poor man's Porsche. Started to leak oil and had to sell it in 1970.
Very thorough review, very well done, thank you !
Good friends of ours when I was growing up had a new maroon '63 Corvair Monza convertible with a 4-speed stick, loaded with every possible accessory including factory A/C. They only kept it a couple of years, but for me as a kid, it was a fun ride.
My first car was a 66’ Monza. I loved that car. I drove it like it was a Porsche. I could toss the car thru a corner, not all crossed up as seen today, but a nice controllable four wheel drift. I just wish it was built with 200 hp. Mine had 14” Crager magnesium wheels as seen in this video. Also on it were two Cherry Bomb mufflers. It looked great and sounded great. I wish I had one today.
Bought new in 1965 Corvair Manzo convertible black Interior loved it
The atomic Corvair was awesome.
With optional flux capacitor :)
Growing up, our family had a 64 Monza convertible, later on I had a 66 Corsa convertible.
My Mom worked at a tire store and was given a free set of Michelin radials, it was funny seeing mechanics shake their heads when
my five foot and a bit mom tried to tell them the tires weren't flat. ;-D
I read about successfully mounting a Tornado drive train "behind" the rear seat (notch for a pulley) of a second generation Corvair.
Seeing that I thought about a transverse front wheel drive V6, then saw a video of someone using a Fiero drivetrain. ;-)
Idiot light for fan/alt/ belt failure:
Wire a $4 buzzer, beeper, etc in parallel with the light.
I do it on ALL oil pressure lights.
Will get your attention.
my dad Herman Heins was a corvair mechanic we ran them for years we had convertables too we used take us 4 kids mom and dad to northampton all my childhood i grew up in these little monsters see dad souped them up big time i miss him something terrible! G_d love you Dad and Frankie Young of Gloversville some aweome people in thier time
I had the 65 Monza 110. It was perfect.
The year was 1995. The factory blue and chrome. The seatbelt buckles were body by Fisher and so impressive to look at. The interior was flawless. It is my true regret for selling. Low and gliding I would drive around Campbell River Bc . That’s on Vancouver Island . I had so many people ask me about the.car even at a stop sign. No rust, no dents. Trim was perfect. Regrets.
Still the most exotic car made in the USA turbo in 1962 ! Porsche did not have 1 till 1976 and did not have a 6 till 1965? and the Yenko out handle the Corvette oooh!!! do not say it aint so.
My first car was a 1963 VW Beetle with a 110 hp Corvair engine by way of a Crown adapter. Later on I got a 140 hp from the junk yard
and that was cool. Had a aftermarket fiberglass hood with two air scoops to cover the longer engine. I miss that car, it was orange.
We named it "Bug parts and Rat hairs"
I really enjoyed this report . Guy has a great voice for it . One comment , Corvair pronounce like Corvette. I own eight of them and I NEVER heard anyone back then pronounce it the way this youngster does. I learned to drive in a 62 and coming from go-karting never had a problem with cornering. Guess I just had the touch. Cleaned up against Trimph tr3s and the like.
I thought his pronunciation was just the Southern coming through his speech, being this guy is based in Alabama!
My 62 convertible was very roomy. I loved the power glide transmission. Your Corvair reminds me of the 67 Camaro .
Almost bought one in '65 . Really liked the looks . Talk to sales staff and they took me to the holding compound where they keep the new cars EVERY Corvair had about three inches of water on the floor . Their salutation was to drill holes through the floor boards to drain the water . Bought a V8 Valiant instead . The Plymouth had 180 hp , a friend bought turbo Corvair , same horsepower , I could beat him off the line , but once his turbo spooled up he would fly by