Register now to get rid of these ads!

Hot Rods Corvair front end in a 34

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by panhead_pete, Oct 7, 2021.

  1. panhead_pete
    Joined: Feb 22, 2006
    Posts: 3,487

    panhead_pete
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I have a 70s build 34 3W about to arrive, that is if the ship ever makes it here, and it was built using a corvair front end, yep not exactly HAMB material but still not a Mustang :) . That was a 1st for me but Im sure not for others. Does anyone have any experience, history or information re the use of these? Car is currently full fendered and will most likely stay that way, just want to be a bit more knowledgeble about what I have etc.

    Thanks
    Pete

    184248095_3012553839068989_877992932567527507_n.jpg Front under.jpg
     
  2. dalesnyder
    Joined: Feb 6, 2008
    Posts: 609

    dalesnyder
    Member

    That is one of my favorite 34's. Definitely a driver. Can't believe it's leaving maryland.
     
    kidcampbell71 and panhead_pete like this.
  3. deathrowdave
    Joined: May 27, 2014
    Posts: 3,519

    deathrowdave
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from NKy

    I had a Corvair I rebuilt it and sold it . It went into 39 Poncho sedan . That was in early 80s . My Buddy installed one in an A sedan . It worked with out on issue until the car left the area . Parts were tough to locate , Maybe better today . If it’s working and the car has fenders , drive it like you stole it
     
    bchctybob and panhead_pete like this.
  4. I've had a car with the Corvair front suspension and I used a reverse rack & pinion for steering, the car drove like a champ and handled great, not hamb friendly but I drove it like that until I sold it. HRP
     

  5. Tim
    Joined: Mar 2, 2001
    Posts: 17,097

    Tim
    Member
    from KCMO

    Grew up around a 34 with a. Corvair front under the front fenders and never had any trouble, about 27 years later it got “upgraded” and I could never tell the difference between the set ups. I wouldn’t put one in but if it’s there I’d probably leave it alone
     
  6. Similar deal to an early Holden.

    (edit: I said similar, not the same)
     
  7. I drove a Model A for more than 25 years (140k miles) that came to me with a corvair front. It was fine, rod was built before first MII hit the street.

    Parts are available from Clark's Corvair Parts in Massachusetts, USA.
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2021
  8. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    What a beautiful color.

    My Bantam has Corvair, got it that way. I'd prefer it had a straight axle but it rides and handles remarkably well, and I have enough other things to do.

    A friend moved from California to New Zealand about 4 months ago. His stuff still hasn't arrived, living out of a suitcase.
     
  9. Corn Fed
    Joined: May 16, 2002
    Posts: 3,278

    Corn Fed
    Member

    Very common setup in the 70's. In a light car like a 34 its probably ok, although nobody would use one today. If it works fine I'd probably leave it.
     
    panhead_pete likes this.
  10. joel
    Joined: Oct 10, 2009
    Posts: 2,467

    joel
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I had a '30 model A with a Corvair front end. I used a Pinto manual rack which I narrowed so that the tie rods pivoted very close to the same place as the lower control arms. I changed the steering arms on the spindles to the " quick steer " ones that were available at the time ( late 70s). I used a Pinto cable to connect the column to the rack. I drove it about 2800 miles and no problems with the front end except the brakes were under-sized.
    model A.jpg
    you can see the rack under the bumper
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2021
  11. I converted from the front steer Pinto rack to a rear steer Omni rack. Swapped the steering arms from side to side, and changed to the quick steer arms, available from Clark's. The quick steer arms reduced the turning radius.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2021
  12. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    Here's one coming out from under a 32 years ago. Corvair FE.jpg
     
  13. panhead_pete
    Joined: Feb 22, 2006
    Posts: 3,487

    panhead_pete
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    MGTStumpty, or anyone else that can help, looks like it was bolted into the chassis rails? If so do you recall if the rails were standard width at the mounting points? Was the original cross member still in place?
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2021
  14. primed34
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 1,407

    primed34
    Member

    My '34 Chevy coupe had a Corvair Front end when I got it '82. It's still under the car some 100k miles later. Mine has the '65 to '69 five lug unit with an early Pinto rack. The five lug units have the rear sway bar which you want. The stock springs are a little on the dainty side so I replaced mine with Chevette spring with two coils cut off. Mine has the frame rails set down in the cross member which helps lower the car like yours. If they are set up right like yours appears to be, they work fine. I had to shorten the tie rods and have the steering arms worked on. They are an odd duck if you have to rebuild one. You can get all the parts from Kanter's or Clark's, but they ain't cheap.
     
    panhead_pete and bchctybob like this.
  15. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 5,190

    bchctybob
    Member

    I put a Corvair IFS under my '33 5w back then (late 60s-early 70s) with a Corvette IRS in back. I cut off the stock Corvair mounting brackets and made my own mostly to get the crossmember up higher on the frame so the car would be lower. It bolted on. I cutout the ball joint area of the a-arms and installed Camaro ball joints and spindles with disc brakes. I was given a rack and pinion and some u-joints by Carman Pisano at Wedge Engineering, he said it was from a Cobra but I don't know. It all worked out just fine and the car had that suspension for years.
    I have to admit that I thought about doing it again with my current '33 pickup as a nod to my reckless youth. I have a nice, complete '65 Corvair front suspension and I have a complete, cherry '64 Vette IRS. They now sell decent disc brake conversions for the late Corvairs too. Sooo....
    Nope, I just got my dropped axle back from the chrome shop, got my hairpins and rebuilt the old cross spring. I won't have to hide my pickup from the HAMB.
     
    Fordors, panhead_pete and Blues4U like this.
  16. primed34
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 1,407

    primed34
    Member

    Not sure if this makes the front end traditional, but there was how to install Corvair front ends in early cars in some '64 Hot Rod Magazines.
     
    blowby, Blues4U, 56don and 3 others like this.
  17. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 5,190

    bchctybob
    Member

    Yep, and the old "4 bars ain't traditional" argument gets shot full of holes by any number of hot rods in magazines from the old days with shortened Ford tie-rods for radius rods but we don't want to pick that scab.
    There was a '32 5w (?) hitting the shows about 10-15 years ago that looked just like it did when built back in the '50s and it had '55-57 Chevy IFS and big bulges in the fenders for clearance.
    Carman Pisano put Hudson IFS under his shortened, Pontiac powered '49 Stude pickup way back in the late '50s along with a homemade independent rear end using a Ford banjo with swing axles made from torque tubes. So there have been forward thinking, clever builders in our hobby since it began, some of their ideas just got lost until dark days of Street Rodding came along.
     
    panhead_pete and Blues4U like this.
  18. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    I can't recall thread but copied photo some time from an old HAMB post. Ackerman angle is all wrong with front style steering and those arms. As stated by X38 it's similar to a local GMH IFS. I've seen them used with Dodge Omni R&P and braided [Flexible] steering shaft. :eek:
     
    panhead_pete likes this.
  19. BJR
    Joined: Mar 11, 2005
    Posts: 9,817

    BJR
    Member

    I bought a 34 sedan in the late 60's with a Corvair front end. Had an Olds engine in it and it would understeer something terrible. I took it out and found a stock front end for it. Now I believe it was just put in wrong or set up wrong, but I was 17 and didn't know how to fix it.
     
    panhead_pete and Blues4U like this.
  20. continentaljohn
    Joined: Jul 24, 2002
    Posts: 5,506

    continentaljohn
    Member

    Great looking hotrod color ,stance and overall look just cool...congratulations Pete
     
  21. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    I posted this a long time ago. My Bantam came to me with the stock Corvair (early 4 lug) box and idler arm, unfortunately sticking out the front of the truck. But the Ackerman worked because of the way the Pitman and idler arms swing along with the steering arms.

    I changed it to a rack tucked under the sheet metal, which ruined the Ackerman with the stock steering arms. Couldn't even pull a U-turn, just wouldn't do it. I had to change to steering arms that extend straight out instead of curving in. Also tie rod length and angle are detrimental to eliminating bump steer.


    ebay 131.jpg View attachment 5193056 [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 8, 2021
    Blues4U likes this.
  22. joel
    Joined: Oct 10, 2009
    Posts: 2,467

    joel
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    IIRC the one on my A was not altered and the frame was not altered. There were 2 pieces of heavier angle iron welded to the outside of the frame rails with holes drilled in the horizontal lip that bolted the Corvair cross member on. I think 2 @ 7/16 or 1/2 inch bolts per side. 40 years ago, so details are sketchy.
     
    panhead_pete likes this.
  23. 33 cdan man
    Joined: Sep 15, 2016
    Posts: 193

    33 cdan man

    A little different but same concept. I used an early Pontiac Tempest. 3 bolts on each side and it rolled right out from under the car. Guys were modifying the Corvair control arms to take a Chevelle ball joint and spindles. Some were cutting the end of the control arm off and welding the Chevelle control arm ends on. I didn't think that was very safe. The Tempest had the V8 so I was confident it was heavy enough for what I needed with no major mods.I narrowed the crossmember so the mounting pads so it bolted under the 33 frame rails. Used a Mustang II manual rack, 84 Vette rotors and calipers. It worked quite well.
     
    joel and panhead_pete like this.
  24. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    Something on the OP's lower arm looks different to me, or there's something bolted to it, can't figure it out.

    af.JPG
     
    panhead_pete likes this.
  25. thats a sway bar end bushing and mount
     
    panhead_pete likes this.
  26. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    Ah ok, thanks. May 4 lug setup doesn't have one.
     
  27. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 30,778

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    this is on the ragged edge of being off topic, talk of rack and pinion steering will push it over the edge and get it closed
     
    panhead_pete likes this.
  28. 37gas
    Joined: May 25, 2013
    Posts: 143

    37gas
    Member

    I mounted a Corvair in my 33 ford 45 years ago. I put the cross member in just like factory then moved the lower control arm struts to the front, this left the rear of the cross member clear to mount a power box and idler arm. Just make sure the lower control arms are level to the ground when you mount steering box and idler arm so you don't get any bump
     
    panhead_pete likes this.
  29. The magic set up was the Pinto flex shaft, that's what I usd also.it would snake around everything. HRP
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.