Your comments are priceless. I have a L-5 & L-2 Burst fractures & fusions w/ chronic pain . Please don't stop video of your projects, only way I can escape besides drugs. Your important to me for learning & MENTAL HEALTH ! Thank You John.
I find your welding, fabrication & machining skills, as excellent as they are, easily eclipsed by your ingenuity and thoughtfulness. This is a wonderful series and I can't wait to see the bodywork all painted and shiny, ready for that mahoosive motor!
My dad was a pilot who loved building engines. So, of course his retirement business was a full machine shop. 30 years later I still can't get enough. I love this kinda thinking.
Very nice. When I was in high-school a local racer took the front wheel drive from a 455 Toranado and made a mid-engine Corvair. Wickedly fast and fooled many unsuspecting street racers.
Your weldments should be in a museum, priceless workmanship. I am gob smacked to say more. all the best, looking forward to the next installment. Take care and peace out!!
I always thought these cars could have been so much better if only someone would have put a little more effort into them. Holly cow this is going to be a beast.
I found ya thru miss Nicole and the SUPER DOOPER BEETLE, and I have to say that you are an awesome fabricator and I love your vision, man. Thanks for bringing us along
Once upon a time I was involved in a 66 Corvair Crown conversion. At that time I was simply a mechanic with fab skills. Now, I appreciate & participate in machining processes as well. Your vision drives you to make it as you see fit. All I can say is, "Hope it exceeds your expectations!"
Tune up shop in Glendale Az had one as a mid engine quarter-mile dragster with crinkle walls did a wheelie through the intersection on the way to pick up parts😂👍
You Sir are genius, and I'm not, for the quality of work you do, nobody could afford a kit, however nice it is to think 🤔 about. Outstanding beautiful welds, everything is top notch
John Reynolds, You know what amazed me you are making the parts that you planned long time ago and you know already how to make the next suspension parts that can handle the massive engine torque that is going to be transferred to the rear wheel. Excellent fab. Thanks for sharing.
Man, I love what you're doing with that Corvair. Don't let the negative comments bring you down. I put a jet engine in my Mustang last spring, and the chicks really dig me.
The way you weld a tight radius ellipse into the swing arm for the rear suspension is to bend the tip of the tungsten and extend it so that you can fit it into that small radius, get a bigger cup and then turn up the gas supply. If you can build up a non-combustible dam around the area of the weld to constrain the gas flowing out of the cup from flowing out of the area, so much the better. It isn't a wonderful way of doing it, but it is functional and gets the job done.
I enjoyed the drive axle and sprocket idea. I think a Hayabusa swap would make a lot of sense here. after months of welding you would end up with exactly the same horsepower as before :)
Love the idea, once owned a Corvair like this one. Had to subscribe and will follow this project closely. Work is top notch and I am excited to see it being built. You are a craftsman for sure.
As a Aerospace TIG Welder for over 40 years - You need to use Backup Argon Gas then you can put your Tungsten out as far as you need to Weld. Make like a Tent out of Aluminum Foil or any non flammable material to keep the argon gas into place.
Good point about the shielding gas. The bigger problem was that the torch would have to be nearly horizontal to the joint. I've heard of ppl bending the tungsten to do such a job but a mid plate was a easier solution.
NASA would probably love to have you building things, top notch you are right up there 👆 with the greats in welded made things, nice 👍 thanks BigAl California.
John, it's been 3 weeks I'm looking for another update, welding fabrication, talking what ever you've got. I can only watch this video so many times. 😂 🤣👍
I have a freind that put a 327 in the front of a corvair and put the floor and the hump of a s10 in with a rear axle turned out really nice. Made a nice 1/4 machine
Watched the Volkswagen test drive with Nicole Johnson, then a few others and now the Corvair series. First video that reminds me of Ronald Finger videos. Funny parts.
Porsche got around trail arm twist strengthening by putting tubes along the length of the trail arm to join both sides together . Welded outside . I would stitch weld inside also but I’m a back yard engineer from a country seaside town in Australia and don’t speak German.
The best bet as far as keeping everything lined up and turning freely is simply to have a reliable assistant spin the rear wheels as everything is tacked into place. If it all lined up initially then it still should provided the "poor man's jig" tip is followed faithfully. Lots of thought to your engineering. My choice when confronted with access issues when welding is adequate gap to weld thru into a copper or brass backing strip which is then sacrificed and cleaned up to smooth at those spots. Also have used ceramic tape for 100% backup strip. "I know, lets show some heat straightening and annealing with a torch and wet rag video".
Just a tought, When trying to position the caliper, what if you put the caliper in place, use some compressed air to tighten the pucks on the rotor, then the caliper will be in it's position, then tack and weld. Hard to explain in english I Really enjoy your work.
@@JohnReynolds661 I have used 180PSI to center & hold the caliper while welding caliper mounts for years. Works great, fast & easy.Caliper is not spinning so if it is off be a 0.005 or so not a big deal, pistons will correct any minor misalignment. Great work on your build sir.
@ Michel Party, It will work if the caliper is one sided piston design but if the caliper has pistons on both side the caliper has to be aligned equal distance to both side of the rotor before welding the hanger.
@@b-lopez394 I center 4-piston and 6-piston calipers with 180lb compressed air. You should confirm correct centering with a feeler Guage, but most often I find it very close, just like when you apply the brakes.
This is fascinating. I have a 65 Corvair, but the body is set on an 88 s10 Blazer chassis and will be front engine. The mid-engine looked like way beyond my fabrication skills.
Holy shit John! I had no idea this was your vision when you were talking about your suspension design ideas when you first started this project. Beautiful work! Really enjoying your progress on it.
Hi John, great work as usual. Question about you checking the caliper to rotor clearance shown at about 7:35 - what is a desired dimension here? I've never seen a spec for that. Thanks!
I think what is important is to center the caliper in the rotor. The gap should be the same between pad and rotor on both sides. The gap dimension is not that important.
I've seen an Oldsmobile 455 Toronado engine and TH425 transaxle installed in the rear of a Corvair. The engine was in where the back seat used to be. Pretty sure they used the front suspension as the rear suspension for the Corvair. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it go anywhere. I imagine it probably went pretty good.
How many things u take apart when you was little? Just to see how it worked? What was or is your job? Do you have any video of that truck in garage? In first video I think you see it when going to look at transmission and engine.
The main objective with the motor mounts is to make it easy to drop out of the bottom, 'cause, you know, it will probably be coming out for various reasons.
If you did one inch long stitches every three inches and working cold bits before moving back to hot bits until every panel has a stitch every three inches you can then close up the gaps with the work pieces experiencing minimal distortion. An alternative to the center plate or in addition to would be to get some thick wall half inch or 10 mm tube and pass it through so it transects the bend then weld the tube to the walls it intersects with.
Those are other ways to do it I suppose. It been my experience that no matter how you put 5’ of weld on a fabricated structure, it’s going to shrink and warp. Pretty common to use fixtures when doing this kind of work. Thick wall tubing is certainly strong enough if you’re not concerned about weight.
Oh yeah, you should build a kit, if possible when finished, an old friend (r.i.p.) had several corvairs and I have always been a fan of those. Screw Ralph Nader, real men love danger
👍👍😎👍👍…… weld, weld, weld, weld, weld, weld…… 🤣😂🤣. To me it’s all about seeing how others fixture, setup and tack, yet it was really helpful to see the arm rest in action. I imagined how well they might work and now I’m convinced the smooth action arm rest could help a lot, again, depending on the setup. Thank you. Is the tubing notcher something you made or purchased?
You must be thinking of the earlier Corvairs and other common cars such as Volkswagen Beetles, Triumph Spitfires, Porsche 356s, Renault Dauphines, etc. This is a 2nd gen Corvair John is building that had suspension with minimal camber change with up/down wheel travel.
Not sure what all you will do with this car when it is finished and it is to difficult from the video to tell exactly how much clearance there is between the swing arm and the sidewall of the tire but it looks like it is only about 1/2 an inch and if that is accurate then you would be pushing your luck expecting it never to rub the sidewall on the swing arm. Can't really tell accurately from the video and the car may never see much side loading etc. so maybe it won't matter. Interested in seeing it progress. What transmission will it have ?
Damn, sprocket drive would have been so cool. Those yellow numbers look like the same kind as we use for transformer numbers. You work for a power company?
Good job! New to this project. What was your inspiration. And why abandon the stock Corvair design??? Just curious Just purchased a slightly rusty 1962 Greenbrier. Always have my eyes open to new tricks. Wish you were here to help me fix some of the chassis No V-8 for this girl, but she definitely needs some more horses
The late model Corvair body style has always been a favorite of mine. But the stock engine and trans are very antiquated. V8 swaps used to be very poplar with these cars and have been done hundreds of times. Basically, it's a fabrication exercise which is why I do it.
@@JohnReynolds661 My first five cars beginning in '73 were all Late model 180 hp Corsa's. I would have been happier with just a crank driven Roots blower and a Quadrajet but I knew nothing then and affordable EFI was a German Car thing. However my Dad was an A&P mechanic for Braniff and my Uncle Jerry was Lawn Boy's Chief Engineer..th-cam.com/video/MdjyBuxNkkA/w-d-xo.html. At first I used N2O and stole the idea to use it to spool the compressor up by impingement. Then Uncle Jerry just wired the throttle open and hooked the accelerator pedal to the distributor (like some outboards) et viola - the first anti-lag on an American Car. Dad - not to be outdone - built an Onan BGM (all alloy 45 cid opposed twin ) driving a Sullair cast iron screw compressor into the front trunk/fuel tank ares meaning the propane tanks took up the whole back seat area. We finally reached the limit of what could be tolerated by the 9-bolt ring and pinion gear even with custom 4-pinion spider gears and had to give up about 1980 and a guestimated 450 pounds of torque. Kept me off of drugs (but lost my license three times)($$$) and I won't go into tacking a gutted Powerglide onto the front of the '66 Saginaw 4 speed, copper-riveted clutch disks to hold the torque, and custom tool steel needle-less u-joints on the receiving end of some or all of the foregoing silliness. Carry on the Corvair Rep for over-the-top-ness, John. We've a legend to perpetuate (at any speed or even stopped).
@@JohnReynolds661 when I was like 15, my Hot Rod uncle had a LM Corvair coupe that had small engine fire(big surprise) He had all the plans to do a Krown conversion on it. Never did anything and I regret not buying it from him.
Hot diggity dog this is turning out to be one hell of a vlog. Another hundred mill or two (views) and Al Gore's rhythm just might recommend you. I can't wait to see this thing roll out in the spring. You're definitely killing it. Going to be one hell of a car when it's done. The transverse LS4 idea was brilliant. Really making use of the available space. There's a build out here on the interwebs, a Vair Monza with a 283 that doubles as an armrest. He took Mid engine to heart with that build. It doesn't have an engine cover. I don't know how long I could tolerate a 283 riding 3rd wheel screaming over everyone else. With that said, I still give him an A+. Everybody talks, rarely does someone do.
This is my first build that will be all video. Previous builds have been done with just pics on forums. It's a niche crowd that will watch it so I don't plan to set Al Gores rhythm on fire. Yeah, the North/ South engine arrangement has been done hundreds of times and it's always the same problem: the valve cover doubles as an arm rest. Still can't use a back seat with an East/West configuration but at least, you would have to reach way back to touch the engine.
If halfshafts are part of the trailing arm suspension,trailing arm pivot points have to have some give. "Up and down" motion of trailing arms will pull in an in and out "at the halfshafts. Unless, halfshaft ends can slide "in or out" as trailing arms go in an "up and down" motion, due to road surface conditions.I owned a corvette C3 and trailing arm pivot points cpuldn`t be solidly bushed at pivot points. I hope you solve this situation and come up with something better than the old corvette style rear end.
Yes, the C3 and original Corvair rear suspension are similar in that they rely on the half shaft as one of the fixed suspension points. My arrangement uses inner and outer plunging CV joints and two lateral control arms so the axles have plenty of room to breath.
I watch a lot of you-tuber builds and I always wonder what you in particular do for money to keep the lights on and the chromoly racks full n tig bottles full?
John,First off,I'm living a fantasy through you..."group 7 ish" V8 Corvair... I've noticed a fixture you use to steady your arm when you weld...Is that something you've made or is it available to buy somewhere? Your Corvair should be a real animal when you're done! Great videos! Thanks...
I got it from Amazon but it's currently unavailable there. Here's the same thing form Arc-Zone. There very handy. www.arc-zone.com/welding-arm-rest-ara18
In my teens up until 20, I was a motorcycle and VW mechanic. Then I went back to college to study music and became a musician as a living. But the mechanical and fabrication factor never left. When I retired from the music industry, I got a lot more involved in fabrication. I built one Ultra 4 race car and worked on a few for others but never "worked" as an off-road fabricator. However, that's where I honed my skills as off-road race cars are very fabrication intensive.
@@JohnReynolds661 very interesting. I have been working on aircooled VWs for years, some mechanical but mostly bodywork. I watched your earlier vids with the off road vehicles and kinda figured you may have been into racing somehow. Your fab skills are super nice and detailed. I enjoy watching your work.
@@JohnReynolds661 I never gave it that much thought but after watching a little bit of that Rick beato Channel it blows me away how smart musicians are.
Hi, if you would be interested I saw a guy that took a second gen. and made it a hatchback maybe you'd be interested it looked cool and gave more room and looked factory the way he did it.
Your comments are priceless.
I have a L-5 & L-2 Burst fractures & fusions w/ chronic pain . Please don't stop video of your projects, only way I can escape besides drugs.
Your important to me for learning & MENTAL HEALTH !
Thank You John.
Sometimes watching the cutting, grinding, and fabricating is just so relaxing.
Exactly ! Very SATISFYING watching...
I find your welding, fabrication & machining skills, as excellent as they are, easily eclipsed by your ingenuity and thoughtfulness. This is a wonderful series and I can't wait to see the bodywork all painted and shiny, ready for that mahoosive motor!
Engineering/Fabrication - AWESOME! Glove caught in the clamp - PRICELESS!
Do you also enjoy the adventures of project binky?
Build me a Corvair
"If I don't know, I'll just make something up" words spoken by real men everywhere
Don't forget "you made it to the end" wish my wife would say that... hehe
My dad was a pilot who loved building engines. So, of course his retirement business was a full machine shop. 30 years later I still can't get enough. I love this kinda thinking.
Nice engineering I really like the swing arm toe adjustment angle Chevy should have done that years ago.
Very nice. When I was in high-school a local racer took the front wheel drive from a 455 Toranado and made a mid-engine Corvair. Wickedly fast and fooled many unsuspecting street racers.
In the late 80s there was a corvair with the same set up terrorizing the streets of Las Vegas. That thing smoked what my buddies and I had!
I wish you were my neighbor so I could just come over and visit while you work. A joy to watch.
You are truly a genius!! love how you keep adapting to the 'new problems" Sounds & looks like you were once a Marine, "Improvise, adapt, and overcome"
You really doing a nice job John.
Your weldments should be in a museum, priceless workmanship. I am gob smacked to say more. all the best, looking forward to the next installment. Take care and peace out!!
I always thought these cars could have been so much better if only someone would have put a little more effort into them. Holly cow this is going to be a beast.
That is the way I have always thought ! Just imagine what could have been done to upgrade this car !
Still watching. Love the workmanship !
Awesome shop. Tools, tools, tools!
Great respect for a guy that has the skills to put them all to use!
I found ya thru miss Nicole and the SUPER DOOPER BEETLE, and I have to say that you are an awesome fabricator and I love your vision, man. Thanks for bringing us along
Your trailing arms remind me of single-sided swingarms on motorcycles. A very elegant solution.
Watching John make me want to go out and make stuff.😀
John, you are one heck of a Fabricator, sir! this car is shaping up really nicely!
I love this kind of " garage engineering" you are brilliant,
And I'm going to keep following.
Not to mention, I want to do a corvair as well.
Once upon a time I was involved in a 66 Corvair Crown conversion. At that time I was simply a mechanic with fab skills. Now, I appreciate & participate in machining processes as well. Your vision drives you to make it as you see fit. All I can say is, "Hope it exceeds your expectations!"
very cool! back in the 80's i saw one a guy had that was mid engine and it was awesome! hope yours is even better!
Tune up shop in Glendale Az had one as a mid engine quarter-mile dragster with crinkle walls did a wheelie through the intersection on the way to pick up parts😂👍
You Sir are genius, and I'm not, for the quality of work you do, nobody could afford a kit, however nice it is to think 🤔 about. Outstanding beautiful welds, everything is top notch
John Reynolds, You know what amazed me you are making the parts that you planned long time ago and you know already how to make the next suspension parts that can handle the massive engine torque that is going to be transferred to the rear wheel. Excellent fab. Thanks for sharing.
Man, I love what you're doing with that Corvair. Don't let the negative comments bring you down.
I put a jet engine in my Mustang last spring, and the chicks really dig me.
Was wondering how the progress was going. Those arms are artworks. Thanks for the update!
Thank you for your videos. Your efforts are an inspiration. I’m very impressed with your fabrication skills and garage engineering.
Your fab skills are just something else. Truly amazing work!
The way you weld a tight radius ellipse into the swing arm for the rear suspension is to bend the tip of the tungsten and extend it so that you can fit it into that small radius, get a bigger cup and then turn up the gas supply. If you can build up a non-combustible dam around the area of the weld to constrain the gas flowing out of the cup from flowing out of the area, so much the better. It isn't a wonderful way of doing it, but it is functional and gets the job done.
Impressive design and workmanship in limited space
I enjoyed the drive axle and sprocket idea. I think a Hayabusa swap would make a lot of sense here. after months of welding you would end up with exactly the same horsepower as before :)
Really enjoying this the details and your engineering design thoughts during these build videos
I enjoy your video's. Thank for taking the time take them.
Always fun to watch it done the right way, great ideas too
Love the idea, once owned a Corvair like this one. Had to subscribe and will follow this project closely. Work is top notch and I am excited to see it being built. You are a craftsman for sure.
This man and this build are mindblowing. Period.
I wish I could work on cars like John. His work and design is top notch !
Having all full machine shop with lathe and milling machines helps.... A LOT!
As a Aerospace TIG Welder for over 40 years - You need to use Backup Argon Gas then you can put your Tungsten out as far as you need to Weld. Make like a Tent out of Aluminum Foil or any non flammable material to keep the argon gas into place.
Heh - heh . . . Grey Hair for the WIN !
Good point about the shielding gas. The bigger problem was that the torch would have to be nearly horizontal to the joint. I've heard of ppl bending the tungsten to do such a job but a mid plate was a easier solution.
Love these keep them coming. I am inspired to do a similar conversion with my 66
Master craftsman nodout.
Very nice craftsmanship
NASA would probably love to have you building things, top notch you are right up there 👆 with the greats in welded made things, nice 👍 thanks BigAl California.
John, it's been 3 weeks I'm looking for another update, welding fabrication, talking what ever you've got. I can only watch this video so many times. 😂 🤣👍
Thanks, I got side tracked but should have next update by Monday. There's 50+ hours of work on the project between videos.
You are an awesome fabricator
I have a freind that put a 327 in the front of a corvair and put the floor and the hump of a s10 in with a rear axle turned out really nice. Made a nice 1/4 machine
Watched the Volkswagen test drive with Nicole Johnson, then a few others and now the Corvair series. First video that reminds me of Ronald Finger videos. Funny parts.
Love how this is developing
very cool stuff you're doing, Wish I had all of those toys!
Your welding better that Factory welding. Perfect..
Porsche got around trail arm twist strengthening by putting tubes along the length of the trail arm to join both sides together . Welded outside . I would stitch weld inside also but I’m a back yard engineer from a country seaside town in Australia and don’t speak German.
Holy cow that shop is huge!! Nice work tho!!
Ive seen a Olds Tornado drive train in the back of a Corvair..
Yes the 455, it was in the 70s
Thanks for the show
Very very nice job, thanks.
Love the content and the build !
Any way we could get more footage close up while welding
I love your work. I should be with you have a look your work.
The best bet as far as keeping everything lined up and turning freely is simply to have a reliable assistant spin the rear wheels as everything is tacked into place. If it all lined up initially then it still should provided the "poor man's jig" tip is followed faithfully. Lots of thought to your engineering. My choice when confronted with access issues when welding is adequate gap to weld thru into a copper or brass backing strip which is then sacrificed and cleaned up to smooth at those spots. Also have used ceramic tape for 100% backup strip. "I know, lets show some heat straightening and annealing with a torch and wet rag video".
Looking good, thanks John
Impressive!
You have a nice shop and some great tools and the car is looking good I always liked the late model vairs what motor is it 1,2, or 3 ls
Just a tought,
When trying to position the caliper, what if you put the caliper in place, use some compressed air to tighten the pucks on the rotor, then the caliper will be in it's position, then tack and weld.
Hard to explain in english
I Really enjoy your work.
That's a good idea.
@@JohnReynolds661 I have used 180PSI to center & hold the caliper while welding caliper mounts for years. Works great, fast & easy.Caliper is not spinning so if it is off be a 0.005 or so not a big deal, pistons will correct any minor misalignment. Great work on your build sir.
@ Michel Party, It will work if the caliper is one sided piston design but if the caliper has pistons on both side the caliper has to be aligned equal distance to both side of the rotor before welding the hanger.
@@b-lopez394 I center 4-piston and 6-piston calipers with 180lb compressed air.
You should confirm correct centering with a feeler Guage, but most often I find it very close, just like when you apply the brakes.
This guy is amazing!
Excellent work! Thanks for sharing. Why no foot pedal for your drill press?
This is fascinating. I have a 65 Corvair, but the body is set on an 88 s10 Blazer chassis and will be front engine. The mid-engine looked like way beyond my fabrication skills.
This man John Reynolds can build anything .
Holy shit John! I had no idea this was your vision when you were talking about your suspension design ideas when you first started this project. Beautiful work! Really enjoying your progress on it.
16:50: I am SO glad I am not the only one that does that...
Bravo maestro
Hi John, great work as usual. Question about you checking the caliper to rotor clearance shown at about 7:35 - what is a desired dimension here? I've never seen a spec for that. Thanks!
I think what is important is to center the caliper in the rotor. The gap should be the same between pad and rotor on both sides. The gap dimension is not that important.
@@JohnReynolds661 Got it, Thanks
I've seen an Oldsmobile 455 Toronado engine and TH425 transaxle installed in the rear of a Corvair. The engine was in where the back seat used to be. Pretty sure they used the front suspension as the rear suspension for the Corvair. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it go anywhere. I imagine it probably went pretty good.
Have you saw Mat's Off Road Towing .? He Took a 700 Four Door Made It Egn. In front 4x4 Rock caller . He Called The Morevair.
I'm curious if you need an heir? I'm particularly fond of that Super Beetle
How many things u take apart when you was little? Just to see how it worked? What was or is your job? Do you have any video of that truck in garage? In first video I think you see it when going to look at transmission and engine.
Ingenious.
Sure wish my hubs were that precise, had to shim my wilwoods with some washers for my sandrail with a Subie of course!. :)
Yeah, we do what we have to do. Shims aren't a bad idea.
I was wondering if motor mounts could pivot with trailing arms a bit it might solve side pressures.
I like your project though, quite inivative.
The main objective with the motor mounts is to make it easy to drop out of the bottom, 'cause, you know, it will probably be coming out for various reasons.
If you did one inch long stitches every three inches and working cold bits before moving back to hot bits until every panel has a stitch every three inches you can then close up the gaps with the work pieces experiencing minimal distortion.
An alternative to the center plate or in addition to would be to get some thick wall half inch or 10 mm tube and pass it through so it transects the bend then weld the tube to the walls it intersects with.
Those are other ways to do it I suppose. It been my experience that no matter how you put 5’ of weld on a fabricated structure, it’s going to shrink and warp. Pretty common to use fixtures when doing this kind of work. Thick wall tubing is certainly strong enough if you’re not concerned about weight.
Also, even though I welded each arm with 6 opposing sections, I prefer to weld the entire project in one session to avoid repeated heat cycles.
It's just too good, but maybe needs more tire to swing arm clearance, can't wait for the next episode!
Hard to see, but it has nearly a half inch clearance. As long as I stay out of the mud I should be fine.
@@JohnReynolds661 High load sidewall deflections ? Nice work don't tell Noam.😉
You can run narrower tires in the winter so you have room for tire chains. 😁
Oh yeah, you should build a kit, if possible when finished, an old friend (r.i.p.) had several corvairs and I have always been a fan of those. Screw Ralph Nader, real men love danger
👍👍😎👍👍…… weld, weld, weld, weld, weld, weld…… 🤣😂🤣. To me it’s all about seeing how others fixture, setup and tack, yet it was really helpful to see the arm rest in action. I imagined how well they might work and now I’m convinced the smooth action arm rest could help a lot, again, depending on the setup. Thank you. Is the tubing notcher something you made or purchased?
the sprocket joke was really funny lol
How will the rear control arms swing to 25 degrees positive camber, ya know, just to keep the handling "factory"
Nice fab work, keep the vids coming!
You must be thinking of the earlier Corvairs and other common cars such as Volkswagen Beetles, Triumph Spitfires, Porsche 356s, Renault Dauphines, etc. This is a 2nd gen Corvair John is building that had suspension with minimal camber change with up/down wheel travel.
Of course, it needs to retain the factory unsafe at any speed. The car needs to have at least a little chance to kill me.
@@JohnReynolds661 lol
i said this on the bug video and ill say it again... you're a genius !! well well weld ! LOL
Not sure what all you will do with this car when it is finished and it is to difficult from the video to tell exactly how much clearance there is between the swing arm and the sidewall of the tire but it looks like it is only about 1/2 an inch and if that is accurate then you would be pushing your luck expecting it never to rub the sidewall on the swing arm. Can't really tell accurately from the video and the car may never see much side loading etc. so maybe it won't matter. Interested in seeing it progress. What transmission will it have ?
It has 1/2" of clearance, I'll try to stay out of the mud. 4T80e trans.
Average person:- “You can’t put that engine and trans combo in there “ John Reynolds:- “Hold my beer”
Damn, sprocket drive would have been so cool. Those yellow numbers look like the same kind as we use for transformer numbers. You work for a power company?
So did you stress relieve them puppies
Good job!
New to this project. What was your inspiration. And why abandon the stock Corvair design???
Just curious
Just purchased a slightly rusty 1962 Greenbrier. Always have my eyes open to new tricks. Wish you were here to help me fix some of the chassis
No V-8 for this girl, but she definitely needs some more horses
The late model Corvair body style has always been a favorite of mine. But the stock engine and trans are very antiquated. V8 swaps used to be very poplar with these cars and have been done hundreds of times. Basically, it's a fabrication exercise which is why I do it.
@@JohnReynolds661 My first five cars beginning in '73 were all Late model 180 hp Corsa's. I would have been happier with just a crank driven Roots blower and a Quadrajet but I knew nothing then and affordable EFI was a German Car thing. However my Dad was an A&P mechanic for Braniff and my Uncle Jerry was Lawn Boy's Chief Engineer..th-cam.com/video/MdjyBuxNkkA/w-d-xo.html.
At first I used N2O and stole the idea to use it to spool the compressor up by impingement. Then Uncle Jerry just wired the throttle open and hooked the accelerator pedal to the distributor (like some outboards) et viola - the first anti-lag on an American Car.
Dad - not to be outdone - built an Onan BGM (all alloy 45 cid opposed twin ) driving a Sullair cast iron screw compressor into the front trunk/fuel tank ares meaning the propane tanks took up the whole back seat area.
We finally reached the limit of what could be tolerated by the 9-bolt ring and pinion gear even with custom 4-pinion spider gears and had to give up about 1980 and a guestimated 450 pounds of torque.
Kept me off of drugs (but lost my license three times)($$$) and I won't go into tacking a gutted Powerglide onto the front of the '66 Saginaw 4 speed, copper-riveted clutch disks to hold the torque, and custom tool steel needle-less u-joints on the receiving end of some or all of the foregoing silliness.
Carry on the Corvair Rep for over-the-top-ness, John. We've a legend to perpetuate (at any speed or even stopped).
@@JohnReynolds661 when I was like 15, my Hot Rod uncle had a LM Corvair coupe that had small engine fire(big surprise) He had all the plans to do a Krown conversion on it. Never did anything and I regret not buying it from him.
Ford Courier 4 x 4 front lower control arms were bending, the fix was to replace them with arms with mid plates. so it is proven to work
Hot diggity dog this is turning out to be one hell of a vlog. Another hundred mill or two (views) and Al Gore's rhythm just might recommend you.
I can't wait to see this thing roll out in the spring. You're definitely killing it. Going to be one hell of a car when it's done. The transverse LS4 idea was brilliant. Really making use of the available space. There's a build out here on the interwebs, a Vair Monza with a 283 that doubles as an armrest. He took Mid engine to heart with that build. It doesn't have an engine cover. I don't know how long I could tolerate a 283 riding 3rd wheel screaming over everyone else.
With that said, I still give him an A+. Everybody talks, rarely does someone do.
This is my first build that will be all video. Previous builds have been done with just pics on forums. It's a niche crowd that will watch it so I don't plan to set Al Gores rhythm on fire. Yeah, the North/ South engine arrangement has been done hundreds of times and it's always the same problem: the valve cover doubles as an arm rest. Still can't use a back seat with an East/West configuration but at least, you would have to reach way back to touch the engine.
If halfshafts are part of the trailing arm suspension,trailing arm pivot points have to have some give.
"Up and down" motion of trailing arms will pull in an in and out "at the halfshafts. Unless, halfshaft ends can slide "in or out" as trailing arms go in an "up and down" motion, due to road surface conditions.I owned a corvette C3 and trailing arm pivot points cpuldn`t be solidly bushed at pivot points. I hope you solve this situation and come up with something better than the old corvette style rear end.
Yes, the C3 and original Corvair rear suspension are similar in that they rely on the half shaft as one of the fixed suspension points. My arrangement uses inner and outer plunging CV joints and two lateral control arms so the axles have plenty of room to breath.
I watch a lot of you-tuber builds and I always wonder what you in particular do for money to keep the lights on and the chromoly racks full n tig bottles full?
This: th-cam.com/users/jreynoldsinccommunity
Nice work!
What is your background? How/where did you learn metal working/welding?
you are making a type of c3 corvette trailing arm setup.
It's a little like a C3 but it's more like that found on the rear of a RZR.
John,First off,I'm living a fantasy through you..."group 7 ish" V8 Corvair... I've noticed a fixture you use to steady your arm when you weld...Is that something you've made or is it available to buy somewhere? Your Corvair should be a real animal when you're done! Great videos! Thanks...
I got it from Amazon but it's currently unavailable there. Here's the same thing form Arc-Zone. There very handy.
www.arc-zone.com/welding-arm-rest-ara18
I'm very curious to see how your are going to stabilize the rear wheel trailing arms since the front pivot has a ball joint.
It’s going to use the same principle as a RZR rear suspension
@@JohnReynolds661 Ok that makes sense, will the arms be mounted to the chassis or the engine/trans?
@@johnnym1320 chassis
@@JohnReynolds661 looking forward to your progress, nice work!
i really want to build a Corvair with a Subaru flat 6 and maybe a 996 C2 transaxle.
John I know you’re a musician. But did you work in fabrication in the racing industry? Would love to know more about your background.
In my teens up until 20, I was a motorcycle and VW mechanic. Then I went back to college to study music and became a musician as a living. But the mechanical and fabrication factor never left. When I retired from the music industry, I got a lot more involved in fabrication. I built one Ultra 4 race car and worked on a few for others but never "worked" as an off-road fabricator. However, that's where I honed my skills as off-road race cars are very fabrication intensive.
@@JohnReynolds661 very interesting. I have been working on aircooled VWs for years, some mechanical but mostly bodywork.
I watched your earlier vids with the off road vehicles and kinda figured you may have been into racing somehow.
Your fab skills are super nice and detailed. I enjoy watching your work.
@@JohnReynolds661 I never gave it that much thought but after watching a little bit of that Rick beato Channel it blows me away how smart musicians are.
Hi, if you would be interested I saw a guy that took a second gen. and made it a hatchback maybe you'd be interested it looked cool and gave more room and looked factory the way he did it.
Like your arm rest for tig welding. Bought or made?
It's about $75 on Amazon, I use it all the time. amzn.to/3LwOGGO