<VV> What's More Trouble-Prone? 140hp or 150/180hp?

[Doug Mackintosh]

Joe, I'm not optimal, but I do concurrently have a '62 102 HP and a '64 150 
turbo.  My daughter and I have put about 50 K miles on the turbo since 
rebuild.  My experience (talking routine maintenance here - the turbo does 
make it tougher to do things that require pulling engines or top covers) is 
that the turbo took a lot of tinkering and fine tuning to get it right, but 
once we got it right it has become as reliable as the 2-carb car.  It tends 
to stress the ignition more, had to replace a distributor cap.  But I 
haven't had problems with it eating plugs, etc that some complain about.  
The YH can be finicky, and rebuild kits are a little more, but you only need 
one (and usually only need the accelerator pump).
I haven't got a cents/mile figure for you, but I would say its a little more 
expensive to maintain, but not so much you would notice.  Somewhere along 
the line I guess the turbo will need to be rebuilt again, which will be a 
noticeable chunk of change.  \

Ymmv.

-- Doug Mackintosh
   Corsa member since 1996
   Corsa/NC member since 1996,  Virtual Vairs member
   Corvair owner 1969-1971 and 1996-on


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<<From: "N. Joseph Potts" <pottsf@msn.com>

I think most are agreed that the basic two-carb Corvair engine is simpler
and easier to keep running as it should than either of the two
high-performance designs, four-carburetor and turbocharged. But which of
these is harder to keep in good fettle? I owned a two-carb long ago
(bullet-proof), and I find my present four-carb example predictably
more-demanding. I've never owned a turbo, and have been cowed by the
complexity and stress of a turbocharging system. Reading VV for a couple of
years has NOT quite answered my question.
     I'd like to hear ONLY from people who've had BOTH, optimally
concurrently and/or in the same year of Corvair.
     Please be reminded that I'm NOT proposing a thread on which engine is
BETTER. Tastes and needs vary, as do the characteristics of these two
high-performance designs. I really only want to hear about how they compare
in terms of amount, expense, and difficulty of maintenance required to keep
them running as designed.>>

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