<VV> Early Model Front Doghouse Question

[Tony Underwood]

At 07:38 hours 11/30/2004 -0500, William D Conwill wrote:
>[snip]There's nothing in a Corvair considered a subframe. 
>Unless you mean the front suspension assy.[/snip]
>
>Yup, I meant the front suspension assembly.  So the front 
>quarters are part of the body proper? 

Yep.    No subframe per se.    The Corvair is an honest unibody (GMs first)
which uses detachable suspension members.    No subframes supporting any
part of the vehicle body.    This is what makes a Corvair so rigid... it's
a true monocoque body.     In fact, it's the only US car which used a true
monocoque construction body.   Of course, this also means the car is welded
together front to rear, with no removable body panels.    The whole car is
effectively a single piece.    It does use detachable front and rear
suspension assemblies but they do not support or stiffen/strengthen the
body itself.       


>I'm used to dealing 
>with first-gen Camaros where the front subframe attaches to 
>the body beneath the front seats.


It's worth mentioning that the first generation F-body was actually derived
from the Corvair platform.    You might say that the Camaro was kinda like
a stepchild of the Corvair.      


Frankly, the monocoque body makes for pretty convenient servicing.   The
entire front suspension assembly can be swapped out in short order.  The
rear suspension too, only that's a bit more involved since it also serves
to hold up half the drivetrain.   


tony..