<VV> Don Manen's Lakewood Station Wagon Mofifications

[Mark Noakes]

Shortened with with the orginal short doors or with the longer coupe doors?  Since mine has quite a bit of rocker rust, if I redo it, I have considered making it a two door with the coupe doors...would be alot of work though.  The suspension mods sound interesting...

Mark Noakes

----- Original Message -----
From: Silveyyevlis@aol.com
To: virtualvairs@corvair.org
Subject: <VV> Don Manen's   Lakewood Station Wagon Mofifications
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2004 00:57:55 EST

> 
>   When  I read that you didn't want keep your wagon stock it came to mind what
> I had done to my wagon that Bob Kirkman recommended and had done to an early
> corvair that he shortened to  one seat and called it "SHORTY".
> 
>                                                 When I purchsed a rare 62
> station wagon (it was not a lakewood but a Monza Wagon with cloth covered bench
> seats, only a few were produced) I was fortunate to get to take a ride in Bob
> Kirkmans shorty early model. He had done many modifications to the suspension
> and brake systems.He suggested that I do the following to my wagon.
> 
> Install a late model front cross member and complete suspension system. Then
> bore out the wheel cylinders to the next standard size.  I believe this to be
> one inch dia., could be less, can't remember exactly since it has been about
> twenty years since I did this.  You might want to use the wagon springs since
> the front end is light for the late springs and will ride a little high.
> 
> Take the rear axels to a machine shop and have the wheel flanges bored for
> five lugs. Some welding will be required to fill some of the holes.  If you want
> a drawing of the axel as it should  be I have one the Kirkman gave me.  Will
> make you a copy when I return home in the spring.
> 
> Install Greenbrier backing plates, wheel cylinders. shoes, in other words the
> complete Greenbrier rear braking sysstem.
> 
> As Bob Kirkman said to me, "This eliminates the weak and lousy early braking
> system and replaces it with one that is as good as the FC's and full size
> chevrolet station wagons.
> 
> Lastly he recommended 14 inch FC wheels. I do not remember the tire size used
> but it can be calculated to give you the overall drive train ratio that you
> want.
> 
> Now, you may wonder about these recommendations  but take it from me, Bob
> Kirkman was a very intelligent and capable engineer.  He was the supervisor of
> the Chevrolet Div. suspension design group. So that is getting it from an
> excellent source
> 
> I did what Bob recommended to my station wagaon and it worked satisfactorily.
>   I only got to drive it a few miles around town to test the brakes before I
> sold it to Waren LeVeque's wife Sharon after it sat in the gagage for twenty
> years.
> 
> Tom Silvey
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Mark Noakes

pictures and notes (and no blog...that's just the ISP's format) at:

http://blog.mark.noakes.com/

"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is usually a difference."