<VV> Was Engineering marvels, now 5-speed

[NicolCS at aol.com]

<snip>

All this talk about engineering cool things for Corvairs - - ...a five speed 
transmission.  The single biggest shortcoming
these cars have to me is that at highway speeds they are turning waaaaay too
fast for engine wear, fuel economy or pleasant driving.  I know that there
was a kit for a while and I know that this is a real challenge, but if I
could ask for anything from you engineering geniuses, that would be it.  My
Firebird has a six speed and I can't tell you how many times I have reached
for an extra cog in the Vair, and it's just not there.
Sigh. Norm Witte
<unsnip>

Someone bought the tooling and rights for the 5-speed so they should be 
coming back at some time.  Just remember that they were expensive and required a 
complicated (or visible) shifter mechanism.  I drove one of the 5-speed cars 
and, except for the visible shifter rod, it was nice.  In the meantime, you can 
install a wide ratio corvair transmission and 3.08 gears.  The combination 
yields a perfectly normal, first gear, the ability to downshift to thrid at 
highway speeds, and a highway cruise rpm around 2700 Rpm.  I have this combo on two 
cars and I love it.  Read all about it in the April 2003 Communique.
Craig Nicol