<VV> 62 Corvair Monza Spyder Convertible Suspension

[Rick Norris]

Could this be a steering stabilizer? Looks like a small shock absorber 
mounted horizontally on the steering links?
Rick Norris
#36 Sunoco Corvair
www.corvairalley.com

>< I have purchased appears to have what is left of a Stabilizer  System
> on the front suspension.>
>
> When the 1962 model Corvairs were introduced in the fall of '61 Chevy, for
> the first time, offerred a "heavy-duty suspension" option for the Corvair.
> I believe it was designated as R.P.O. (Regular Production Option) 696.  It
> consisted of a front stabilizer (anti-roll) bar, rear rebound straps and
> shorter, stiffer springs and shocks at all four wheels.  Later, in the
> Spring of '62 when the Spyder equipment first became available, Chevy, at 
> first,
> required that R.P.O. 696 be ordered together with the Spyder option
> (Spyders  were not officially considered by Chevy to be a separate line 
> until
> model year  '64 so you technically don't have a '62 Spyder, you have a '62 
> Monza
> with Spyder  equipment).  Anyway, at some point during the '62 model run
> Chevy  "decoupled" the Spyder option and the heavy-duty suspension option.
> This  was done either to make buying a Spyder more affordable or to allow
> consumers  put off by the harsher ride of the heavy-duty suspension to buy 
> a
> Spyder with  the same smooth ride of all Corvairs.  You may well have an 
> early
> production '62 Spyder with what's left of the mandatory R.P.O. 696
> equipment.  BTW, at some later point, probably beginning with model year 
> '63, the
> rear rebound straps were eliminated from R.P.O. 696 and Chevy engineers
> tried limiting rebound by designing less rebound into the shocks, 
> themselves.
> As others have already pointed out, the '64 swing axle  suspension was
> greatly modified with a front stabilizer bar on all Corvairs, a  single 
> rear
> transverse leaf spring and recalibrated springs and shocks on all  four 
> wheels.
> When the big body style change came with the '65s there was  an all new
> suspension system with the rear having been designed by Corvette  chief
> engineer Dora Arkus Zuntov based upon his design which debuted on the '63
> Corvette.
>
> Also, there were a number of after market companies who provided handling
> add ons for the Corvair including front stabilizer bars.  Perhaps the most
> infamous was EMPI's "camber compensator" which was designed for the rear
> swing  axle of early Corvairs.
>
> Good luck with your car and I hope perhaps with come pics of your
> suspension and info that others can provide we can solve this mystery! 
> Keep us
> informed.
>
> ~Bill Stanley
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