Chevy Corvair Road Test & Review by Drivin' Ivan
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ย. 2014
- Drivin' Ivan Katz reviews the Chevrolet Corvair. The review car is a 1964 Monza Convertible.
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Always with the fan belt..I drove a '65 Monza for 4 years of school 1970-1974..it had issues all right but not one bit of trouble from the fan belt..
@Gary Mohamed LOL, I get it, watch movies and stop worrying about fan belts..LOL get off topic much??
I had a new 1964 Monza Spyder convertible, Palomar Red with a black top. Very much enjoyed your video, back to the good old days.
I fell in love with this car, back in 1960. I’m glad you enjoy it. Thanks for your video.
1960 master race
I just came across this video and really enjoyed it. That is a super nice example of an original Corvair. I hope you still have it.
I just acquired a 64 monza convertible and it is a great cruiser.
Cool video, thanks for posting and glad to see you enjoying your vintage wheels! Corvairs are VERY cool!
I enjoyed watching your video. I look forward to owning my own Corvair. My eye is on a 64 vintage car. I've come across some 20-foot runners in the $2k range. I was steering clear of convertibles because I don't have a garage to properly store one. However, seeing the palpable joy on your face as you leisurely cruise about in your drop top is compelling reason alone to reconsider it as an option. Perhaps I can use the purchase of a convertible Corvair as excuse to build a garage port. Thanks for taking the time to share your impression of the classically cool and undervalued Chevrolet Corvair!
Hi Rick. Top goes down, price goes up, but for good reason! There's nothing like motoring al fresco in my opinion! Thanks for commenting MindDezign and please share my videos with your friends and family, and on social media too and SUBSCRIBE! Drivin' Ivan
Loved my Monza Spyder! 👍 It did move out quite nicely!.
Love the car ,great to see it running.thanks
Great classic, great value, great review thanks!
+ddmd80 Thanks for watching!
I took a chance when I bought my 1966 Monza 4 door hardtop, it needed a lot of TLC. But over 10 years she's been transformed into a shiny reliable comfortable driver. She's a keeper ..
Too bad GM did not have a front anti sway bar as standard equipment. The RPO 44 option was a handling game changer
The shim pack that set the rear toe in was often omotted by shade tree mechanics causing ultra bad handling.
Excellent review!
I see you got the deluxe optioned model. Hahaha. Nice video. Brings back memories.
Great review! - I hope to get the paint and interior on my 63 Spyder daily driver that nice someday....
Here's a tip. The 60 -63 Corvair had a tendency for the rear wheels to "tuck under" on sharp turns., if the rear tires were not properly inflated. Mainly most cars had the same problem, but the Corvair had different inflation pressure for fronts and rears. The 1964 Corvair had the cure for the swing axle problem, called a "camber compensator" which kept the wheels from tucking under. This short spring is available and will make your 63 handle a lot better, and it's a simple bolt-on piece of spring steel. It bolts on the bottom of the transaxle. It came standard on all 64's.
In 1965 the suspension was changed to a full independent setup, which made the Corvair out-handle most cars on the road at the time.
The 60 - 63 had the basic swing axel setup as the VW, the Porsche, the Mercedes, the Triumph Spitfire, and some others, but Nader ignored those cars. But we were stupid to take car lessons from someone who didn't have a license or a car...ever. An "expert"? I think not. He was not at all concerned by the exploding gas tanks in the Pinto! He saw his chance to go after GM to get his 15 minutes of fame.
The 65 Corvair Corsa Turbo had 180 HP, fully independent suspension, a 6 cylinder Boxer engine, Rear engine, 4 Speed stick shift, and if you were smart enough to put on a set of Michelin Radials, you could drive circles around any Mustang. Interestingly, Porsche liked it so much that they copied it with their Porsche Turbo several years later.
Get that Camber compensator for your 63 and keep your tires (radials) properly inflated and it will amaze you.
.
over rated just like turbos there is no coolant system too hot
They had a certain charm and funkiness that no other American car has had. Some of it is very much like what people love about the Beetle- funny smells and peculiarities that add up to a really unique thing in a car. I had two of them.
Their engineering, even at best, ended up causing a lot of aftermarket solutions and tinkerings to improve on the car; for example, the push rod tubes were exposed to the exhaust manifolds, and the o-rings that sealed the tubes would dry out from the heat and cause tremendous oil leaking. People figured that out over the years and began to use improved synthetic o-rings, and that worked.
Their heaters could be very dangerous, because if the seals in the ducting system failed, the interior of the car could be filled with exhaust gases.
They had complex carburetor linkages that would get loose and cause bad running over time, since they'd feed gas at different rates if the linkages were sloppy.
Then, the idiotic fan belt! Well, it was often more reliable than anyone would expect, looking at it. A lot of people were afraid of the belt coming off, so they'd overtighten it, and that would cause it to stretch and then definitely slip off!
But the car was a lot of fun, like Ivan says. A really cool experience, especially the convertibles. They were made very solidly, as well.
Yes, the Corvair is a truly unique and a great classic to own! I love mine! Thanks for watching!
Thank you!
That fan took 15 HP to turn. Solution # 1 was to install a larger fan pully to slow it down a little. On my 1964 150 HP Spyder, 15 HP was 10 %. When my belt would come off at the drags, you could feel the kick. Where else could you get a 10% increase in Horsepower for the price of a belt. Solution # 2 was loosen the belt before racing. It would cool the motor fine while waiting at the line, but abut 120 feet down the strip, the belt would throw off, and you would get a kick in the pants that you could feel. If you had to wait to get back to the pits, shut off the motor until you could drive back and put the belt back on. Tech never caught on.
.
Thanks for the retrospective! I was surrounded by Corvairs as a kid as I had an Uncle that owned I believe every Corvair model that Chevrolet offered at some point.
He was a real genius a keeping them running right, and was quite possessive of them as he wouldn't let anyone drive them but him.
You mentioned the Dodge Dart........I had a '65 convertible with the slant six back in the early '80's, but unfortunately, I blew the engine in it. 😟
Fun car though, and actually more rare than the Corvairs.
Great review man! You do much better video editing than I could ever do lol!
very important to keep the tire pressures per the manual, otherwise as a kid I remember my uncle had a vair, in fact he bought one new the first year, again in 64 and again the last year, he loved them.
the real ones
The early Corvairs were no more unsafe than most cars of the era. Chevy however made a really dumb decision in the early development. Swing axle cars when driven in a spirited fashion have a tendency for "axle jacking" and swing axle oversteer conditions, VW, Porsche used the same style rear end. The engineers knew the Corvair had the issue and a simple fix would be to add a front sway bar. This would allow for understeer which would occur before the previously mention dangerous oversteer condition would occur. I can't remember but I think the part added less than $20 to the car and it was rejected by GM beancounters. Instead the specified 15lbs air in the front tires and 26lbs in the rear tires...thinking every gas jockey in the US would abide by this. Nope, people aired the front tires up just like the back and drove down the road at speed without understanding what they had done. This was resolved by 64, the new Corvair in 65 used a new fully IRS with coil springs replacing the original swing axle rear suspension. Nader picked on the Corvair, but Chevy still sold 1.6 MILLION of them. The Mustang and Camaro were the demise of the Corvair...not Nader.
Great review of a great car. I do wish the sound was more up to par.
Yeah, I recorded this video on a super windy day unfortunately.
Thinking about getting a classic car like this one, not a car guy by any means, never had a classic car but have always wanted one. Would you recommend this? I like the price point of these, what should I be thinking of when purchasing one
Never owned one either, but would definitely recommend :).
Check out the Spyder model, turbocharged and awesome dash with gauges.
All Spyders had the Turbo, a 4 speed stick, and the awesome dash.
I am currently negotiating for a 64 Spyder Coupe that is in really good shape (one small hole in the bottom of the right front fender with a patch panel included, and a pristine interior.), except the 150 HP Turbo motor was swapped for a 102 HP from a 62. If I can buy it cheap, I will start searching for a Turbo motor.
Solid floor, southern car with a very little surface rust in the trunk. Plus it has a new aftermarket radio with USB, CD, and Satellite radio, that looks like the original AM unit. The 62 motor is rebuilt with the new push-rod tubes that don't leak. I could drive it while I look for the Turbo motor. And it has the Alternator conversion.
and they also came with free herpes
Excuse me, the transmission- it's "Powerglide", not "Turboglide".
do nothing guy
I sure miss my old '66 Corsa Turbo Coupe, Artesian Turquoise w/ matching interior, headrest bucket seats.
My dad had a 1963 Monza hard top
ki just picked up the rare turbo-glide corvair
its a powerglide not a turbo glide
+animalcorvair You seem to know your stuff, so riddle me this: If the tranny is facing bell housing rearward then does the engine spin counterclockwise or is the tranny completely reworked to spin the opposite way so you don't end up with two speed reverse and only one forward gear on the powerglide? If it does use a standard clockwise design then how is the rotation reversed, and why haven't we seen LS swaps yet? ;)
+ThatOneGuy engine runs counterclockwise ..plus this is why you never over tighten the fan belt ..
+animalcorvair That makes me want to get one to do a weird swap to make haters hate while getting their doors blown off. Has anyone done a Honda swap yet? I'm thinking a slant mounted built Honda H22 with a 60+ mm snail on meth injection oughta do the trick!
After About 100,000 MLS.Best To Order Ur Oil in 55 Gal.Drums, As They Sling A Lot of It.Lol
And I believe for 64 all of them were 110 hp unless it was a spider
After an accident, you have a Red, White and Blue interior.
lmao
shut up its not made of sand like your rovers
they are very safe in an accident ..but stay in the car wear your seat belt all my lms have them my 62 700 i put them in
Thanks ! I have a 64 .like video .
"Ta know" cover?
i just got one 2 weeks ago.great shape with an extra engine. but i cant figure out why is overheating
+edgar bowen you may have mouse nests under your fan shroud....happened twice to mine
Thank you so much..it was missing a little cover on the bottom that was getting hot air....I just got another one yesterday a 1962 Chevy Monza Spider with turbo..convertible Turbo runs great but need cosmeti love to look good
Look in the top of the engine, toward the back down by the bumper. Two little plates cover up the two hot air vents. Loosen them and make sure they are covered. For winter, open them to provide warm air to engine to keep from freezing the carbs. Covered up, and the heat blows out the back of car. They came from factory with a sticker that said open these in Winter.
because there is no water coolant system only air
I love how he talks about manual features in classic cars as if its a foreign concept....speaking as a guy born in 1985...the hell is wrong with kids that this would be shocking to anybody?
Frankly, I miss cars with crank windows, a real key to turn in an ignition and those lovely "lounge seats" as he puts them. I'm buying one of these because I miss my old Coronet (my first car, my choice to buy it) and I am 100% sick of all the nanny features in modern cars. "Beep beep beep" what? What is it car? Did you sense the overpass support thats like 30 feet away from me? Is the sensor in my passenger seat sensing the half pound bag of food I'm Dashing to someone's house? Is one of my tires low? Still beeping...is there a car sitting behind me at the light? Wtf are you beeping at me about?! While I'm trying to figure this out...I'm being honked at because I'm driving 10 miles under the speed limit searching my car for problems.
Please give me back my old hunk-a-junk iron beast. Every damn day I'd take that over what we got now.
The interior upholstery has been redone and is incorrect. There were no stereo radios available for the Corvair and the speakers butchered into the rear quarter trim panels are not original. Next time review something that is stock and unaltered.
This was my actual Corvair featured in the review. I have since sold the car unfortunately. Sometimes I'm offered pristine original examples of cars to review, sometimes I review my own cars, and sometimes I review new cars. Whatever the case I try to capture the essence of driving the car, and the history of each car as well. At any rate, thanks for watching and commenting and please SUBSCRIBE AND SHARE. Drivin' Ivan
They were pretty decent cars and sure got a bad rap by Nader.
Please use another mic. You sound like you are talking through a telephone sometimes. The sound is that bad. Nice car though. Pity there are none in Europe.
+Ronald de Rooij Agree. BUT: There are some Corvairs in europe?! Just searched a few wanted ads online and found several ones.
+duracotton They were sold in Switzerland only. I have no idea why only in Switzerland.
Ronald de Rooij
I can find some in Germany, too:
1) www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-autos/bochum-mitte/chevrolet-corvair/k0c216l16865
2) fahrzeuge.autoscout24.de/?atype=C&make=19&mmvco=1&model=21006&version=Corvair&mmvmk0=19&mmvmd0=21006&cy=D&ustate=N%2CU&dtr=s
In my hometown in Holland i remember someone had an Corvair.
The video is all about nostalgia for an era, and the tinny sound helps evoke it. I liked it.
The second version was excellent, unfortunately it was tarred & feathered with the same brush as the first.
wrong
@@motavaper2613 wrong
Crank that baby UP!
These cars were awesome. I want one to drive a couple days a week. It makes a good statement. FU Ralph Nader.
Only complaint with the video is that he seems to top out at 30mph when driving. Would like to see/hear it traveling at a normal clip. Great otherwise. Thanks.
I'm an old guy and I miss those cars. All the mechanics were more accessible, not cluttered with government mandated crap. Americans made those cars, and in those days American cars were the best value for the money and they worked very well.
The Corvair was distinctive in it's design, very sporty for the time, but functional.
A 3 speed auto would make a big difference; I'd hate driving it anywhere hilly.
A three speed would have made it a bit quicker off the line...but that's about all. No real advantage to it in this application.
awww what a poosy have u thought about a ford falcon or thinderbird?
yeah right the autos wont move @@techmaven5900
@@motavaper2613 yes they will..
@@motavaper2613 A Thunderbird of this vintage will still move a hellova lot more than a Corvair. Pretty sure the 4th gens are over 4,000lbs just like the ‘61-63 but that 390ci will haul ass.
better not smell gas in the heater fix the leak .
It's not a leak, it's just a gas burning heater.
+Devan Driggers 0nly 60s had a gas heater 64 was manifold heat any leak of any kind ..the blower would put it in the car ...it tells you to fix it unlike some cars
nothing like a beetle foonugga
not a Spyder!
Funny guy. Can't turn it off!
They had white seats, so you could see the blood better...lol
oversteer like a porche...deadly
+fern Haloo if you don't know what you are doing, yes.
if ur a kook @@ronaldderooij1774
Great review. Horrible audio
Stopped watching when I saw you're reviewing an automatic. An automatic anything is not an "American beetle".
If you want an automatic transmission get a go-kart.
+fisharmor VW had the Saxomat and other semi-autos in the old air-cooled cars. They just weren't as good as U.S. auto boxes of the time. Also, I've never seen a go-kart with an automatic transmission. They're either single gear with a centrifugal clutch or use a motorcycle trans.
+fisharmor it was designed around the auto ..took them some time to get the clutch to work right for the manual ..read up on it ..an i have a 3 spd 65 ,,but all the rest are powerglide
Ok guys.... what I originally said is 'An automatic anything is not an "American beetle" '. I personally don't care what the Corvair was originally designed to do. The point I'm making is that the Beetle was a no-frills car that expected its owners to know how to drive.
I'm well aware the Beetle had a rare auto transmission. I'm also well aware that Americans have been demanding that auto makers only provide automatics for over 60 years now, and that only Euro and Asian companies even really bother with manuals anymore.
It doesn't change the fact that that if you drive autos by choice you don't know how to drive, and it doesn't change the fact that if you knew how to drive a manual and drove the same car (say a ford Focus) in each transmission back to back you would immediately see the total lack of power in the auto and forswear automatics forever... except you can't, because there are still thousands more people showing up on YT videos to explain to the world how I'm wrong for wanting the option to actually control my car.
The Beetle gave you that option from the start and expected you to use it.
+fisharmor autos are in most cars now an last longer than a clutch
Idiotic!
The worst car ever made! You can´t make a safe "Beetle". Even in the US!
Nothing could be worse.
Ralph Nader was absolutely right
A yugo was the worst car ever made not this car.
Ralph Nader sucks. He couldn't even beat Al Gore.
I had a 72 VW Super Beetle. It was one of the best cars I ever owned.
Ralph Nader? No real reason for anyone to take this nut case to be an expert on anything. And if you did, that speaks for you too.
nader studied the torah @Peter S