corvair transaxle?

[Haycock]

i got a corvair transaxle with a chevy sb bell housing bolted to it for free and i dont know anything about these transaxles so i was wondering what hp/tq they can hold. i was thinking of bolting a vortec v6 to it but i dont think i will hold. this will see mostly sand and alittle dirt. thanks

[Marty]

a friend of mine had a corvair with a LT1 350/350hp in it and the trans held up to it on the highway ! i don't know about off road

[BAPerf]

i got a corvair transaxle with a chevy sb bell housing bolted to it for free and i dont know anything about these transaxles so i was wondering what hp/tq they can hold. i was thinking of bolting a vortec v6 to it but i dont think i will hold. this will see mostly sand and alittle dirt. thanks

Depends if it's pre-'66 or '66-later. In 1966 Chevy changed the transmission from a muncie built unit to a Saginaw built box. The Saginaw 4-speed is the stronges of the lot. The '65 transaxles were the first to have non telescoping axles (inside the trans). The '65 still used the same transmission as the '64, but with the later style differential. The ring gear is relatively small, probably somewhere around the same size as a VW Type 1. The Saginaw transmission has the same size internal gears as the Saginaws that came behind the big block V-8's. Also, the post '66 differentials from the factory only had 3.27:1, 3.55:1 and the Yenko 3.89:1 ring and pinions. (some early model transmissions had the 3.08:1 ratio.) There are aftermarket (Richmond) 4.11:1 R&P's in two different versions, standard and HD (read... softer).

Anyhow, hope this helps.

[FABRICATOR]

There's the Powerglide models too.:rolleyes:

[Haycock]

the axles dont have a slip on them so im guessing its a later one. it looks like the the bell housing is bolted on the opposite side of the transaxle from where the stock one goes, im not sure if this is a usual thing to do. thanks for the responses.

[BAPerf]

the axles dont have a slip on them so im guessing its a later one. it looks like the the bell housing is bolted on the opposite side of the transaxle from where the stock one goes, im not sure if this is a usual thing to do. thanks for the responses.

If the bellhousing is bolted to the transmission, it is *probable* that it was manufactured by Crown for their Corv-8 conversion. That set-up is slightly stronger that the standard Saginaw transaxle. If there are 6 bolts that hold the trans to the diff housing, then it is definitely a Saginaw built box.

[Haycock]

i looked up the crown corv-8 conversion and it looks like that is what it is. im going to tear it apart and see if any upgraded parts are inside. thanks for the help!

[Haycock]

every thing is new/rebuilt in this thing but the things that scare me are the pinion( its hallow) and the stub shafts( thes are also hallow). does anyone know of any aftermarket stub shafts or pinions that are not hallow? or should i not worry about it? thanks

[DWymoreB]

Bringing this up again cuz I might buy a 'vair and make a street/sand cruiser out of it.

Thanks - David

[DWymoreB]

Further thread hijacking : Don't flame me for non-desert posting - I intend to take it to Glamis :D . What's a cosmetic wreck in the front, rust around the windows, barely running '62 Monza Auto worth? It's what I'm thinking about buying.

Also, looks like no V8 for this car and the entire drivetrain would have to be swapped out to run a Subaru or something. Correct?

Thanks