Actually, Ron, a few years ago when I was going to do a Corvair conversion on a Bay, I had no trouble finding a donor engine ($450.00) through the local Corvair club. And, it was through a national Corvair club I actually found the kit made back in the 70's to do the conversion. The guy had obtained the parts in a box of parts he bought at a Corvair show. But best of all, I actually got to drive a '71 Westfalia that was Corvair powered (110hp) and it was sweet! I bought some parts from Clarks, and still get their catalogs. Jeff
Jeff Stewart
----- "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM> wrote:
> I follow the Mecum auctions and they have this Westy on the > block coming up in May. It has a Corvair engine in it! > > <http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=SC0511-106153&entryRow= 2224> Corvair engines were a popular conversion for VW Buses in the 70's and 80's; there were even aftermarket conversion kits for doing the swap. The Corvair engine was available in up to 140 horsepower normally-aspirated or 180 horsepower turbo charged, so it was quite the power upgrade over the stock air cooled VW engine, while still requiring no plumbing. As I recall, the biggest snag was that the crankshaft turned in the opposite direction of a Volkswagen engine, so if you didn't know any better you'd end up with one forward gear and four reverse gears! Of course today Corvair parts are relatively scarce (Clark's Corvair Parts being the only major supplier), as are healthy donor engines, so few people attempt Corvair engine conversions anymore. For those who are curious, Ben and Lynn Stiles, who organize Kampers Near Knoebels in Pa. each September, drive a Corvair van, and are typically joined by one or two other Corvair owners at the event - including over the years a camper with a metal-sided poptop, and a rear-engined dropgate pickup truck, both clearly Volkswagen inspired. - Ron Salmon The Bus Depot, Inc. www.busdepot.com (215) 234-VWVW _____________________________________________ Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT |
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