[V8Vairs] Perfect Transaxles for V-8 Corvair?

[Jim Acker]

Mendeola makes really beautiful transaxles, including a purpose built 6
speed for high performance mid-engine street cars.  As you point out, cost
is a big hurdle with their best ones costing over $15K.  G50s became popular
due to the availability of 5 and 6 speed versions, and the fact that good
930s became more difficult to find.  The only significant issue with the G50
is that the ring gear can't be flipped, so they have to be run inverted.
The high end kit cars have designed around this, but this is a big issue for
a Corvair.  The lowest spot on my car is the transaxle, with barely 6 inches
of clearance with the suspension properly set-up.  To maintain the same
clearance with a G50, you need to run the axles at an angle that does not
work well with a Corvair rear end.  If you completely toss the Corvair
suspension and design your own 4-link with a slip axle, you can certainly
make a G50 work.  It just opens up a lot of engineering and fabrication you
can avoid with alternative set-ups like a 930, C5 Corvette, or Arch's
Powerglide/Winters combo. 

 

Jim