65 Corvair known as the "Spousal Avoidance Unit"

[hrm2k]

What the hell is a Spousal Avoidance unit ? Right now, it is a 1965 Corvair hardtop that I have had for a long time. It was last tagged and on the street in 1998.

The front end featured rewound springs that produce a 3 inch drop along with Camaro disk brakes. The rear features cut rear springs to produce a 3 inch drop as well. The entire 6 cylinder / powerglide thing, while cool, makes me want to puke. The car does have a complete perimeter frame which we added long ago.
The interior has been updated with a changed dash, seats, custom console along with power door locks and spal electric windows
I have been talking about changing this thing for the last 10 years but in honesty, lacked the belief in my abilities to make it happen. Things have changed big time. Since buying my "turnkey " hot rod in 2007, I have learned about fixing things I break and in some cases out right changing completely design and systems. 6 months ago I got a job offer ( I thought I was retired ? ) at a local chassis shop where the Carrillo Roadster was restored and the world has opened up for me.
So i am going to change my Corvair. Last week I picked up a TH425 out of an early Cadillac Eldorado. It is currently getting the once over by a local shop. I am using the 350 SBC short block that used to sit in my hot rod. My 64 CC heads are at a local machine shop getting set up. I am currently shopping a hydraulic roller cam for the engine. We are guess from the flat top pistons, the hydraulic roller cam and the 64cc heads with a proformer manifold and a Holley 650, we should be in the high 300's hp ( probably 375 ).
The car weighed 2520 from the factory with 140 HP. We are loosing the engine ( 185 lbs ), transaxle ( 200 lbs ) and the powerglide trans ( 135 lbs ) or about 520 lbs giving us an even 2,000 car. To this we are adding a TH425 ( 400 lbs ) and a cast iron small block ( 500 lbs ) along with radiators etc giving us a car just a shade over 3,000 lbs with 375 HP............a real shorts stain-er if you know what i mean.

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That god awful steering wheel is gone before someone wants to complain.

Here is a short video from this past July. We had just got the car running and it was fun to run it back and forth in the driveway.




So this is going to be an ongoing general tech thread. We are shooting to have this thing on the road by spring. If someone sees that we are doing something that will not work, speak up.

[TurboShadow]

Looks like ALOT of fun. I have a real soft spot for these cars, I hope to own one someday. I know you already have the SBC, but a LSX motor would be awesome in that.

[hrm2k]

AN LSX would have been the first choice but when you have something on hand it is hard not to use it. I also have to watch the height thing. I am guessing that I will have about 5 inches above the carb and not much more.
I didn't mention that the axle outputs from the TH425 are directly below the second cylinder on each side. I should be able to actually have a back seat with this setup.

[Mike Miller]

A frend of mine is just finishing up one, same color. Looking forward to watching yours.

[PurHell]

Love Corvairs... love the name too...
Be fun to watch your build...

[Leadfoot4]

I have a soft spot in my heart for Corvairs...my first car was a '65 Corsa convertible, which I bought in the summer of 1970.

[hrm2k]

Priorities got in the way for a couple of weeks. I had to make sure my T was ready to roll before I could get into the Corvair. I am happy to say that the got moved Sunday afternoon and the Corvair is on the front burner. I spent a few hours chopping up my oil pan to allow the axle extension to be inserted in the dif. I snapped a quick picture of the new Corvair Meat just before I moved the T. I pick up my new cam and pieces Tuesday afternoon so the motor will be getting put together real soon

[Greezy]

Cool project. The later Corvairs are a nice looking car.

[hrm2k]

So it begins.........

[Greezy]

Theres a white one sitting off of I70 here in Mo that I pass on a weekly basis. Everytime I see it I think how cool it would be in Yenko Stinger trim.