<VV> 140 bashing

[Bill Elliott]

Don't get me wrong... I think the 140 is the best Corvair engine made... but not necessarily the most the 
reliable. 

Whether overheated or not, in stock condition it DOES drop valve seats. And the torque curve (of the 
normal 140, not the 140PG engine) is not even close to being optimally suited to heavy loads.  Finally, 
engines in RV's are more likely to be used on trips well outside of the local area (where most folks drive 
their cars.) This fact would make me lean more towards reliability than performance.

Therefore, I made the recommendation that the best engine for this application would NOT be a 140. 
Despite your impressive history with your Ultra, I'd make the same recommendation for your application 
as well.

In my opinion, your data point of a single troublefree 140 engine under arduous conditions is 
outweighed by the data of the wider Corvair community. Should you replace the engine with a 110? I 
likely wouldn't... but then I also wouldn't be surprised when it dropped a valve seat on me either. 

All of my comments are directed at mostly stock engines. If you've spent the money to have deep valve 
seats installed, then you're in good shape... but also in the tiny minority of 140 owners.

Bill

On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 09:37:22 -0600, James Davis wrote:

>I guess I should take the 140 engine out of my  5,800 lb Ultra 
>Van?  I really hate to since it only has 66,000 miles on it and has 
>never overheated.
>Jim Davis

>At 06:15 AM 11/21/2005, Bill Elliott wrote:
>>--Original Message Text---
>>From: Bill Elliott
>>Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 21:43:14 -0500
>>
>>Hi Jim.
>>
>>I have a '70 Westy with a 110/PG drivetrain. I also have a '66 Corsa 
>>with a 140PG engine hooked to the 4sp.
>>
>>First thing I'd tell you is that I would not want to rely on 140 
>>heads to haul a load like this... My engine started out as a 140 and 
>>was converted to a 110.
>>With a PG this was mandatory, with a 4sp it would give you a lot 
>>more low end (at the expense of top end of course)
>>
>>The 140PG cam is the 95hp low performance cam. This actually moves 
>>the torque curve too low... so the 140PG crank is retarded 4 
>>degrees. This is BY
>>FAR the strongest low end 140, but a standard 140 with 110 heads on 
>>it would give you almost equal bottom end with better reliability. 
>>Not worth trying to
>>do this modification to a standard 140... better to start over with 
>>a 140PG engine.
>>
>>But what I'd do is sell those 140 heads and get some nice 110 heads, 
>>manifolds, and dual exhaust with modern turbo mufflers... I think 
>>that would be the
>>best combo for your application.
>>
>>Good luck!!
>>Bill