Hi John,
That business about the silicone-treated cylinders lasting longer at
high RPM is just plain silly. So is much of the rest of the post you
referred to there. Blew out the pan? Whatinell's that mean?
I had a Vega back when I was buying, fixing and selling cars; found
out a lot about them. GM sold a kit for re-silicone-izing (?) the
cylinders after a rebore. That didn't work out well, according to the
Vega mechanics at the dealership near my home in El Paso. That's why
the machine shops went to the steel sleeves you mentioned and Pinto
pistons. Another bad thing about the Vega engine was that you needed a
$200 tool to get the cam out of the head. Another case of not
engineering for repair.
I owned (as opposed to trading) several Corvairs. Those little
engines were tough, but they weren't all that radical. Lots of VWs
around to copy. Too bad the Chevy engineers didn't look to see how the
VW engine's oils seals were designed. Never saw or owned a Corvair that
didn't leak oil. As far as handling goes, I had a `66 Corsa Coupe with
the turbcharged engine that went around corners like it was on rails.
That little car could blow the doors off any contemporary TR or MG, at
the stoplight drags or on the road (LBC content). Problem was that
after it was run hard, the headpipe exhaust seals had to be replaced
between the manifolds and the turbo. The pressure blew thm out and the
turbo woudn't boost until the system was sealed back up. Also, since
the heater used warm air off the cylinder heads, the fumes came into the
car. Fun, huh?
Ralph Nader killed the Corvair with his book "Unsafe at Any Speed."
By the time Chevy had the handling problems sorted out they couldn't
GIVE the cars away.
--
Charley Robinson
Kerrville, TX, USA
NAMGBR 8-3530
`69 B Roadster
|