Broke the VW out of cold storage today

adorshki

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With the rear engine placement, it did have some tricky "handling" issues when going around sharp curves at a high rate of speed. I had the rear end get loose on several occasions, but I never had an accident. Note: this was a long time before " The Fast and The Furious" and "drifting" became popular!
Of course that was the biggest issue Nader focused on when he practically single-handedly founded the consumer safety movement with "Unsafe At Any Speed".
No matter GM had already addressed the issue by the time the book was published, he had an axe to grind and many vote-seekers on Capitol Hill were only too happy to hop on board his train.
Let's temper that snark with the observation that there were at least a million Corvairs on the road by '65 (Wiki says: "The Corvair's sales exceeded 200,000 for each of its first six model years") with the original "inadequate" suspension.
That's a lotta cars.
The wheels were on swing arms and the inside rear tended to tuck on hard cornering with frequently catastrophic results, in addition to the engine placement behind eh rear wheels inducing a tendency to fishtail as you mention.
There was also a quirky inflation spec: the rears were supposed to be at a different pressure than the fronts, but in that era it was virtually unheard of in the US and ignored if not outright forgotten by many (probably most) owners.
According to one reference it was 15psi front (YIKES!! by todays standards) and 26 rear, this was intended to help induce understeer (the tendency to plow wide in a corner), the preferred GM handling bias: (it's very easy to come out of understeer by backing off the throttle which was the typical instinctive reaction of a "civilian" driver of the day, and still is)
The only other car I've ever heard of that specs unequal pressures front/rear for regular street use is an '03 BMW 3-series also coincidentally using an independant rear suspension, recommending 3-5 lbs lower pressure on the fronts depending on tire size.
"First gen" rear suspension "issue" (and '64 "fix"):
earlyaxle.jpg

Second gen suspension:
file.php


We have here testimonial from a professional driver as to the capabilities of the revised suspension (who coincidentally mentions rolling over 2 Volkswagens, LOL!!):
https://www.corvaircorsa.com/handling03.html
And from Wiki:
"The Corvair's reputation and legacy were impacted by a controversy surrounding its handling: the car was scrutinized in Ralph Nader's 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed, GM's top management resorted to unethical measures in response to its accuser, and a 1972 Texas A&M University safety commission report for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the 1960–1963 Corvair possessed no greater potential for loss of control in extreme situations than its contemporaries.[2]"
Even with the dowdy original suspension.
Besides, would Yenko have gone racing with an inadequate suspension?:
images

I always loved that spoiler w/ dual snorkels rear end:
YS019.jpg

And as Dread said that '61 Karmann Ghia sure does suspiciously resemble a '59-'63 (or '60-'64 depending on whether you go by production or model year) Corvair:
1963ChevroletCorvair_01_1000-700x388.jpg

why-the-karmann-ghia-type-34-is-collectable-1476933881414-1000x628.jpg

For a few years there the Corvair was positioned to play second only to the 'Vette where performance and image were concerned:
'62 Corvair Monza GT concept, design courtesy of the legendary Larry Shinoda ('59 Corvette SS; Mako Shark I and II; '63 Stingray "split window", Boss Mustang):
102439783.jpg

The taillight cove was eventually tamed down for domesticated use on the '65 production 'Vairs:
102439765.jpg

THAT whole theme found its way to Pontiac's Banshee concept in '64 before being reserved for the 'Vette with the Mako Shark II concept paving the way for the 2nd gen Stingray
I was always grateful to have learned to drive with a clutch and a standard transmission. It has severed me well over the years.
Me too but all my limbs are still intact.
Sorry, couldn't resist cutting up a little.
 
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DThomasC

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Hmmm... Corvair stories, Corvair stories... Yes, I have one! We wanted to see how fast one would go. Floored, it got up to... I don't remember how fast, but all of a sudden it lost power and seemed to barely run. Great. We blew the engine. Turns out that what happened was the cooling fan pushed two of the spark plug wires out. Popped them back in and everything was good again. Phew!
 

sailingshoes72

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Me too but all my limbs are still intact.
Sorry, couldn't resist cutting up a little.

Good one, Al. You got me there! I'm not going to edit it though, 'cause I like it! :witless:

Writing that post reminded me of the time I visited my sister in San Francisco back in the 1990's. I was at a stop light on a very steep hill, just below the crest, with a line of cars behind me. I was driving a borrowed Honda Civic that I was unfamiliar with. The clutch on that car engaged very late when releasing the pedal. It seemed like an eternity waiting for the transmission to engage, while I was drifting backwards down the hill!

Then there was the four years that I drove a 2 1/2 ton dump truck for a landscaping company. That was another adventure!
 

davismanLV

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I'm loving this post!! My dad had a '66 bug, and i drove the hell outta that car. Great if you needed to get somewhere. If you were in a hurry, take my brother '69 Firebird! I think those '66's were the 1300's?? Am I right? WAY later (like 300,000 miles later) he had the engine replaced and it was a 1600. Does that sound right??

Anyway, my sister's husband had a 1959 or 60? With the little oval window in back? I loved those. Tiny a$$ tail lights, you know?
 

davismanLV

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Are there people who can't drive a standard transmission car? Hell! I pulled a horse trailer with one for a while. That was actually some help when going down a long grade and the trailer brakes were overheating...... whoops!! My country roots are showing!!! LMAO!!
 

The Guilds of Grot

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This Post Card just showed up in my facebook feed under the group "Historic Monmouth County" I belong to.

It's a great view of the Asbury Park circuit from back in the day!

59794018_2956608087713190_3906442617373589504_n_zpszebnxe3y.jpg


That's Ocean Avenue on the right running up along the shops on the boardwalk and then Kingsley a block over heading south.

Looks like there were some cars cruisin' when this photo was taken!

Sigh...
 

bobouz

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My dad had a '66 bug, and i drove the hell outta that car. Great if you needed to get somewhere. I think those '66's were the 1300's?? Am I right?

I believe so. If it was a '66 & had that 1300 insignia on the back hood, you're spot on.

They really were pretty amazing vehicles in terms of reliability. Our bug was a red '65 convertible with a black soft-top. One summer in the mid 70s, we took off for a month & drove that thing from Eugene to Glacier, Banff, & Jasper, then west to Vancouver Island, and back down the coast.

Never missed a beat!
 

adorshki

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Oh jeeze!! Super cool photo, Kurt! Don't you wish you had a closeup on the cars on that street?? :encouragement:
Car spotting: It's one of the things I love about old TV shows, especially the cop shows.
Lotta street shots.
I think I see Springsteen's Pink Cadillac making a right onto Ocean down in the lower left foreground, am I right?
 
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F312

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Car spotting: It's one of the things I love about old TV shows, especially the cop shows.
Lotta street shots.
I think I see Springsteen's Pink Cadillac making a right onto Ocean down in the lower left foreground, am I right?

I burned out on Highway Patrol on ME TV.

Ralph
 

adorshki

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I burned out on Highway Patrol on ME TV.
Ralph

I'm currently on a TJ Hooker kick on FETV, spotted a Ford Maverick, a Pontiac Grand Am AND first gen RX-7 all in same episode recently; anxiously awaiting the resurrection of CHiPs.
chips-101-javelin-03.jpg

chips-1970-ep101b.jpg

i547699.jpg

:smile:
 
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davismanLV

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That AMC Javelin looks wasted...... Valients, Cougars, Fords, Chevys, and even a Bug convertible from that time period almost out of the photo!! Fun stuff, Al...... :encouragement:
 

adorshki

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That AMC Javelin looks wasted...... Valients, Cougars, Fords, Chevys, and even a Bug convertible from that time period almost out of the photo!! Fun stuff, Al...... :encouragement:

Yah you could make a pretty good livin' as a stunt driver back then.
Learnin' on Bugs and Corvairs.
Cheap.
:glee:
Note also in pic 3:
Black Mustang Ghia on the on ramp; little blue MGB in the number 2 lane, white '70 Cougar in #1 lane...looks like a black Econoline Van next to the MGB (Remember you had to be real careful with the panic stops in those because of all the weight in the front....:glee:).. and something I can't quite put my finger on says it's a B5 Blue '68 Plymouth Satellite wagon about to rear-end the green Valiant.
Oh and I think it's a '68 Buick Skylark climbin' up the ramp bein' towed by the '69 Pontiac GTO...
billboard-advertising-1968-buick-picture-id524039510

:smile:
Heck, as long as I'm talkin' TV Cars, who could forget Maxwell Smart's Sunbeam Tiger?
TunnelRam_GetSmart_Tiger.jpg

And the previously mentioned "Highway Patrol"
get-attachment.asp


"61 Plymouth in "Car 54 Where Are You?":
i226515.jpg
 
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F312

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Yah you could make a pretty good livin' as a stunt driver back then.
Learnin' on Bugs and Corvairs.
Cheap.
:glee:
Note also in pic 3:
Black Mustang Ghia on the on ramp; little blue MGB in the number 2 lane, white '70 Cougar in #1 lane...looks like a black Econoline Van next to the MGB (Remember you had to be real careful with the panic stops in those because of all the weight in the front....:glee:).. and something I can't quite put my finger on says it's a B5 Blue '68 Plymouth Satellite wagon about to rear-end the green Valiant.
Oh and I think it's a '68 Buick Skylark climbin' up the ramp bein' towed by the '69 Pontiac GTO...
billboard-advertising-1968-buick-picture-id524039510

:smile:
Heck, as long as I'm talkin' TV Cars, who could forget Maxwell Smart's Sunbeam Tiger?
TunnelRam_GetSmart_Tiger.jpg

And the previously mentioned "Highway Patrol"
get-attachment.asp

http://www.imcdb.org/i317598.jpgIMG]
"61 Plymouth in "Car 54 Where Are You?":
[IMG]https://www.imcdb.org/i226515.jpg

Remember; 2150 to headquarters... 2150 go. I never noticed the plates on the car. Guess I'll be watching to confirm.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...60324D325E7AF5961BAA60324D325E7A&&FORM=VDRVRV

Ralph
 

adorshki

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And speaking of bringing things out of cold storage, this just popped up on Autoweek:
https://autoweek.com/article/classic-cars/last-first-type-64-oldest-surviving-porsche-headed-auction
1939-Porsche-Type-64_0.jpg


I'm sure most of the guys who're reading this are aware of the shared DNA between Porsche and VW, but just in case:

"By necessity, it shared a basic configuration, a similar shape and some components with the rounded people's car -- including a four-cylinder air-cooled engine hopped up to 32 hp -- but it wore a lightweight aluminum body hand-hammered at the Reutter Works."
1939-Porsche-Type-64_2.jpg


:smile-new:
 
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