Difference between revisions of "Chevrolet Corvair"

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1969 Corvairs and Novas were being assembled at the same facility in the Chevrolet/Fisher plant complex in Willow Run, Michigan.  However, demand for Novas was high and almost nonexistent for Corvairs, so a decision was made in November, 1968, to move Corvair assembly to a special area in the plant, dubbed the "Corvair Room," making Corvairs built between that time and May 14, 1969 essentially hand-built (once the bodies were delivered from Fisher Body).  A number of well-known Chevy collectors and GM executives expressed interest in purchasing the last Corvair, number 6000, but GM management decided that the Olympic Gold Monza hardtop would not be sold.  Most accounts relate that GM scrapped it shortly after it was built.  Representatives from the press, along with corporate bigwigs, were present at the small ceremony when car number 6000 got its final fittings and drove off the line to where railroad cars full of new '69 Novas were ready to be shipped to dealers.  Reaction to the death of this sporty car was mixed, and extended to both ends of the spectrum, from sadness and regret that such a fine car couldn't make it in the marketplace, to sharp criticism of Chevrolet's decision to continue building the car at all.  It should be noted that GM's policy has always been to forbid non-employees from visiting their assembly plants, and certainly, photographing the area.  It was the Corvair that again, proved to be the exception.
1969 Corvairs and Novas were being assembled at the same facility in the Chevrolet/Fisher plant complex in Willow Run, Michigan.  However, demand for Novas was high and almost nonexistent for Corvairs, so a decision was made in November, 1968, to move Corvair assembly to a special area in the plant, dubbed the "Corvair Room," making Corvairs built between that time and May 14, 1969 essentially hand-built (once the bodies were delivered from Fisher Body).  A number of well-known Chevy collectors and GM executives expressed interest in purchasing the last Corvair, number 6000, but GM management decided that the Olympic Gold Monza hardtop would not be sold.  Most accounts relate that GM scrapped it shortly after it was built.  Representatives from the press, along with corporate bigwigs, were present at the small ceremony when car number 6000 got its final fittings and drove off the line to where railroad cars full of new '69 Novas were ready to be shipped to dealers.  Reaction to the death of this sporty car was mixed, and extended to both ends of the spectrum, from sadness and regret that such a fine car couldn't make it in the marketplace, to sharp criticism of Chevrolet's decision to continue building the car at all.  It should be noted that GM's policy has always been to forbid non-employees from visiting their assembly plants, and certainly, photographing the area.  It was the Corvair that again, proved to be the exception.


General Motors did have plans for a 1970-on model Corvair, essentially a re-skin of the 1965-69 body with new exterior sheetmetal. The car likely would have debuted as a "1970 1/2" model, much as Corvette and Camaro did for 1970. The overall appearance of this third generation Corvair was very similar to the 1973 GM A Body intermediates-- particularly the 1973 Pontiac Grand Am. It retained Corvair proportions, with a rounded sweeping body, terminating in a tapered tail with a glassy roof, featuring fixed quarter windows. This program progressed past the point of full scale clay models before being dropped in early 1968. One interesting project at GM was the Turbo Hydramatic 350 transmission, introduced in the 1968 Camaro and later adopted by most Chevrolet models. It was laid out in a manner that would permit its use in the Corvair, unlike the Turbo Hydramatic 400 and most other designs. Had the 1970-on Corvair been built, it is clear this transmission would have been adapted for the Corvair. The last word on the 1970+ "third generation" Corvair was, "Mr. Cole (GM President Ed Cole, ex-Chevrolet General Manager during Corvair development) is not enthused about this program..."{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
General Motors did have plans for a 1970-on model Corvair, essentially a re-skin of the 1965-69 body with new exterior sheetmetal. The car likely would have debuted as a "1970 1/2" model, much as Corvette and Camaro did for 1970. The overall appearance of this third generation Corvair was very similar to the 1973 GM A Body intermediates-- particularly the 1973 Pontiac Grand Am. It retained Corvair proportions, with a rounded sweeping body, terminating in a tapered tail with a glassy roof, featuring fixed quarter windows. This program progressed past the point of full scale clay models before being dropped in early 1968. One interesting project at GM was the Turbo Hydramatic 350 transmission, introduced in the 1968 Camaro and later adopted by most Chevrolet models. It was laid out in a manner that would permit its use in the Corvair, unlike the Turbo Hydramatic 400 and most other designs. Had the 1970-on Corvair been built, it is clear this transmission would have been adapted for the Corvair. The last word on the 1970+ "third generation" Corvair was, "Mr. Cole (GM President Ed Cole, ex-Chevrolet General Manager during Corvair development) is not enthused about this program..."


In what may be the automotive industry’s greatest irony, [[NHTSA]], the federal agency created from Nader’s consumer advocacy, investigated the Corvair and issued a report in 1971 clearing the car’s design, two years after the car went out of production.
In what may be the automotive industry’s greatest irony, [[NHTSA]], the federal agency created from Nader’s consumer advocacy, investigated the Corvair and issued a report in 1971 clearing the car’s design, two years after the car went out of production.
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Chevrolet had tailored the handling of the Corvair by using very wide tires for such a light car (6.50-13, considered wide at the time, even contemporary Corvette used only a 6.70) to bear the weight of the rear and reduced front pressures by about 11 psi to increase front slip angles to balance traction and maintain confident control. If this pressure difference was not maintained, the handling could become dangerous. In very hard cornering, the rear slip angles would exceed the front slip angles, and could lead to [[oversteer]] at high speeds.
Chevrolet had tailored the handling of the Corvair by using very wide tires for such a light car (6.50-13, considered wide at the time, even contemporary Corvette used only a 6.70) to bear the weight of the rear and reduced front pressures by about 11 psi to increase front slip angles to balance traction and maintain confident control. If this pressure difference was not maintained, the handling could become dangerous. In very hard cornering, the rear slip angles would exceed the front slip angles, and could lead to [[oversteer]] at high speeds.


Swing axles were a common suspension design during the Corvair era. The advantages of swing axles are numerous, good handling '''not''' being one of them <ref>[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Independent+Rear+Suspension Independent rear suspension]</ref>; very compact packaging, tremendous strength and durability on rough surfaces, very good isolation of road harshness and a very smooth ride due to the camber changes forcing the tire carcass to absorb blows sideways as well as radially on severe bumps.{{facts|date=May 2007}}
Swing axles were a common suspension design during the Corvair era. The advantages of swing axles are numerous, good handling '''not''' being one of them <ref>[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Independent+Rear+Suspension Independent rear suspension]</ref>; very compact packaging, tremendous strength and durability on rough surfaces, very good isolation of road harshness and a very smooth ride due to the camber changes forcing the tire carcass to absorb blows sideways as well as radially on severe bumps.


The primary deficiency of swing axle suspensions is they create a high "[[roll center]];" the theoretical point that the cars center of mass pivots around- as it leans in cornering. A high roll center increases body roll in cornering; however, it reduces sensitivity to uneven roads and crosswinds. Having a high "[[roll center]]" transfers a large amount of weight to the outboard tire during cornering. Pre-1965 Corvair has a rear roll center approximately 13" above the road surface and front roll center just slightly below the road surface. This concentration of roll loading on the rear wheels means that as the cornering force increased, the weight was transferred to the already heavily loaded rear tire. The cornering force combined with the already heavily loaded rear tires (from the weight of the engine) increased it's slip angle, and could eventually pushing the car into [[lift-off oversteer]]
The primary deficiency of swing axle suspensions is they create a high "[[roll center]];" the theoretical point that the cars center of mass pivots around- as it leans in cornering. A high roll center increases body roll in cornering; however, it reduces sensitivity to uneven roads and crosswinds. Having a high "[[roll center]]" transfers a large amount of weight to the outboard tire during cornering. Pre-1965 Corvair has a rear roll center approximately 13" above the road surface and front roll center just slightly below the road surface. This concentration of roll loading on the rear wheels means that as the cornering force increased, the weight was transferred to the already heavily loaded rear tire. The cornering force combined with the already heavily loaded rear tires (from the weight of the engine) increased it's slip angle, and could eventually pushing the car into [[lift-off oversteer]]
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