>At 10:36 PM 4/23/96 -0500, you wrote: >>I met today by accident a guy who has an early 70's Transporter with an 6 >>cylinder corvair engine for sale. The body of the bus is pretty rusty but > >I installed a 110 hp corvair *and* transaxle in a '70 bus back in '76 so I could tow a racecar. It was a four-sp w/3.89 gears and a positraction; it was dead slug reliable, bulletproof, 2.8 litres, flat-six smooth (ask Bob Hoover about flat sixes in aircraft as opposed to flat fours). > >I got a very consistent 21+ mpg. > >The engine mechanicals - heads, pistons, combustion chambers, rods, etc are very similar to typical small-block Chevy stuff, and are therefore conservatively engineered for long life. Even though it's air-cooled, it was done right as compared to VW's version of air cooling. > >I blue-printed the engine to dead stock - took apart every single piece while rebuilding it (myself), balanced it, rebuilt the transaxle myself to install the posi & the 3.89's, changed the oil every 3k miles(religiously - even on trips), & put 100k on the whole installation while only tuning it up every 10k. > >I could start at the bottom of Waldo Grade at 50 mph & be doing 70 at the top - fully loaded! > >But '70 was the last year for drum brake front ends - & it definitely didn't stop as well as it went! > >Today I'd suggest you check local smog laws b4 getting into it too far . > >Today I have an '87 w/2.1l vasserboxer - & yet I still pine for the +power+ of the 'vair. > >Clark's Corvair parts is still very much in business, also KEP will have lots of info for you (they made the kit I used that utilized the Chevy transaxle) > >Oh, almost forgot - you'll have a real, functioning heater lever - almost as good as water-cooled's! (ever try driving over the Siskiyous wearing a sleeping bag?! - beentheredonethatgotoldquick) > >Good luck - do it if you can. > >Austin ps -- I'm taking the liberty of a general posting in case there are other people interested - sorry if this isn't kosher, disclaimer being that I'm new at this . . > >