[V8Vairs] mid engine conversion

[deltainc]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Embarq Customer" <8alice at embarqmail.com>
Subject: [V8Vairs] mid engine conversion


>
> I could use some advise from you folks.I have 2 vairs. 1967 and 1968. 
> about 40 yrs ago I had a crown vair. I would like to build another. bert 
> trench
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Hi, I have had 3 v8vairs over the last 30 some years, all sbc mid engine....

To get max fun out of these, ya gotta run them pretty hard... and this might 
bust a few parts ... mine have just run about 80% on the street, because of 
scarcity of replacement parts in the trans/diff assemblies.  I have to 
replace nothing except cooling improvements... so far... but  sooner or 
later, I expect to hear a big " bang" toward the rear of the rig... (g) .. 
and so, have been thinking about the next step.

Like you, I have ford roots, and one scheme that I am considering is a " 
Tempo  " type pushrod 4 along with the entire front wheel drive stuffed into 
the rear of the vair.All those parts should be about $400 from a junkyard, 
and would give you disk brakes ( good enough for the street , I think  ) ...

There are lots of possible choices of that sideways engine and xmission 
which would bear thinking about, and recently the Chevvy Cobalt is looking 
pretty interesting...   not to mention they now have a turbo model ( I 
think ) .. hopefully it would have high zoot pistons, and special valves, 
seats, etc.   I am thinking 300 rear wheel horses should be available if you 
tweak the turbo a bit ... and water cooled, ....

Hopefully these cross wise aluminum drivetrains would be lighter than the 
chev sb cast iron types... this is kinda a drawback with the standard 
corv8s.. they weigh 3000 lbs, that is about 600 lbs more than what I would 
like.

An area that might be " the bad news " is that a little research might be 
done to avoid "
torque steering... as in the Probe Turbo.. that thing was dangerous... also 
the Eagle Talon equivalent in front wheel drive only ...  the true Eagle 4 
wheel drive is terrific, but the 2 wheel drive was nasty...  a Widowmaker 
... (g).

Of course, I have been watching " English Touring Cars " on Speed tv, where 
the Cobalt team is showing off ... yeah, I know they might not be box stock, 
but at least they have figured out something that makes them work ...

*********
Besides, maybe the rear mounted FrontwheelDrive stuff could give 6 ft 2 in 
guys like myself a little leg room, which is not standard in the Crown/sbc 
setup.  Oh yeah, Air Conditioning .... wow...

********
I bet that some enterprising young dude could make conversion kits for 
Cobalt/train into Corvairs, and sell a hunnert or so of them in the next ( 
sigh ) 20 years  ...

just some thoughts, let us know what you decide...  ken campbell, 
deltawerkes