<VV> Re: 140 vs 180

[Bruce Schug]

On Jun 8, 2004, at 7:08 PM, Lluke2136@aol.com wrote:

> I've owned various 140-powered Corvairs and a '65 Corsa 180. The 180 
> was a
> lot more fun on the street and anvil reliable. No tinkering or messing 
> around
> with it, it just ran.  Of course it was my Dad's before he passed away 
> and was
> about the most perfect Corsa I've ever seen.
>
> I drove a 140 as a daily driver for many, many years. The 140s are 
> kind of a
> pain. They need a preflight about like an airplane before being driven 
> to
> check for linkage defects and leaking fuel fittings.  Probably a lot 
> of others
> besides me have nailed the throttle in a 140 and had the linkage jam 
> full open.
> There's no way to keep all that monkey motion from going beserk at 
> some point
> without constant fiddling.  And then there's the valve seat disease.
>
> For daily driving, I vote for a stock 180.
>
>

Bob,

I just have to disagree with you on this. I've never owned a turbo and 
wouldn't want a stock one. I've driven some and had friends that had 
them. I just don't care for a turbo. In stock form they have poor 
throttle response. They take forever to make any power. You generally 
have to be in third gear before they get up some boost and start to 
run. If you modify them so they perform well, you have to be careful or 
you'll have so much detonation you'll destroy them. Certainly a 
properly built turbo can be a blast on the street, but the stock ones 
I've driven about put me to sleep.

There's nothing wrong with the carburetor linkage on a 140. I don't 
know what your problem was (is). They have to be adjusted, but once 
done they stay adjusted for years unless you mess with them. Same for 
fuel leaks. If your fuel lines aren't fastened properly obviously 
they'll leak. If you have good lines and fasten them properly, they 
won't leak. As for the valve seat problems, I think most people feel 
that dropped seats are probably due to engines that don't cool 
properly. If yours is dirty and full of rat's nests or something you 
shouldn't expect it to run forever.

A 140 is a blast to drive on the street; even a stock one. They have 
great throttle response and develop power in any gear. It just puzzles 
me to hear people refer to them as troublesome.

Bruce

Bruce W, Schug
CORSA South Carolina
Greenville, SC
bwschug@charter.net

CORSA member since 1981

'67 Monza. "67AC140"