<VV> My Corvair on Overhaulin

[Rick Loving]

Well, I can talk about it
.My 64 coupe/Fitch Sprint clone car project got
snagged by the Overhaulin crew and redone as a show/street car.  My wife and
best friend was able to give them the details of what my dream car would be
and they nailed it.

 

They had planned for months and had multiple vendors and other Corvair
enthusiasts involved.  I was under contractual silence until after midnight
on March 31st so I couldn’t talk about it but the episode will be airing
soon so I have been released to talk about.

 

I still cannot post pictures of the car itself until after the show airs,
but I can tell you a little about what they did to my car.

 

The base car when they “stole” it from my storage building was a gutted out
64 coupe that came out of AZ so it was 100% rust/rot free but needed gone
through. Since the body was so nice and didn’t need a lot of work there,
they upgraded everything else and all I can say is that they went through
everything.

 

I will describe the finished car visually and mechanically as best as I can
like I was walking around it


 

Overall curb appearance

61-64 Coupe Body (de-trimmed, so no visual indicator of actual year) 

Significantly lowered both front and rear with very slight rake

Black exterior with ghosted matt Black twin Fitch Sprint stripes

Black tinted glass all around

Shaved door handles and locks

Completely de-badged, de-trimmed, and de-chromed, with exception of Fitch
Sprint Emblems, front stone guard, and front and rear Cal Custom split
bumpers pulled tight to body

Moss Bullet drivers side mirrors (back anodized)

 

Motor 3.6 L (stroked 94mm)

Machined 3600CC/94 mm crankcase with ARP block studs and new head studs

Case de-burred, de-flashed, oil slosh shields installed at pushrod tube
ends. 

Case halves pinned to reduce case flexing and moving.

Oil jets mounted in case to direct oil squirts to underside of pistons

All oil galleys smoothed, radiused, and port matched to optimize oil flow

Higher oil pressure relief spring, 

Stock oil pump gears blueprinted for optimum clearances 

10w30 full synthetic oil 

94mm Nikasil billet cylinders 
VW rods with floating pins (lightened and shot peened) ARP rod bolts
Malhe 94mm custom forged pistons with ceramic top coat and anti-friction
coated skirts

Pistons were compression/octane cut opposite squish and clearaned for valves

Piston relief was done to increase chamber volume and improve valve
clearance

Total Seal rings, Clevite 77 mains and rod bearings
.5” Stroked Billet crank (dual ¼ dowel pinned crank) 

Fluid harmonic balancer modified to replace stock HB 
custom ROLLER CAM & Roller tip lifters 

failsafe Adjustable Cam Gear 
Alum roller rockers with stud girdle (poly locks for adjustment), 

Isky springs, Titanium retainers

Corrected rocker arm geometry with HD Chrome alloy push rods
Safeguard computer monitoring system/rev limiter

Dual O2 Monitor 

10.5:1 comp 140 heads bored for 94mm cylinders

140 Heads flow ported on intake and exhaust

weld filled, re-shaped and ceramic coated combustion chambers

squish area was set to .32 clearances 

ceramic coated intake and exhaust posts and exhaust tubes

Oversized Inconel 1.765” intake and 1.425 exhaust valves (ceramic  coat top
of valves)

Oversized bronze alloy deep seats with tight press fit 

Bronze alloy valve guides 

Intake guides honed oversize to 1.5 thousandths and exhaust guides 2
thousandths after installation.

Teflon valve stem seals on the intake valves only

 1 5/8” stainless slant tube exhaust 

modified stainless Porsche 1 5/8 to 2.25” equal length headers 

2.25” stainless trombone wrapped dual exhaust with 2” crossover right after
headers.

TWM Induction 40mm throttle bodies

Full in car adjustable/programmable EFI system, with maps for max
performance and economy

Light weight/high torque starter

Carbon fiber improved replica of 61-63 cooling fan designed for LM fan
replaceable fan bearing 

Complete Carbon fiber upper shroud set.

Carbon fiber valve covers and oil pan

Billet alum pulleys and support brackets

Light weight alternator off of a 3 cyl Suzuki/ Geo

 

Trans and Diff

5 speed T5 conversion with .7 OD 5th gear

4:11,  4 spider rear-end built 

 

Front of car

Complete LM front suspension 

S-10 drop spindles

Vented disk brakes drilled for 4 bolt pattern

Flaming River Quick steering box with modified quick arms (quickened &
adjusted for lowered car)

Adj. tubular swaybar

Front tires, 15x6 Hands lookalike rims with 205/50R15 R Compound tires

Carbon fiber trunk lid

Garvin EM front air dam

Front air dam center vented into bottom of trunk for AC condenser

Front air dam outboard brake cooling scoops directed to front brakes

Sprint stone guard and Cal Custom split bumperettes

No nose trim or other chrome or badging other than the trunk lock 

Fitch Sprint emblem on front fenders.

Gas fill door removed and fill neck relocated to inside trunk

Roller cap gas cap mounted in trunk on top of fender hump

Headlight bezels powder coated black

 

Rear of Car

Complete stock rear cut off at firewall

Complete Tube frame rear end scratch built for motor, trans, and susp.

5 point Multilink rear suspension with coilovers

1 piece carbon fiber complete rear end (rear “dog house”) designed to lift
open from rear

Center of engine lid area with Lexan insert to show engine when closed

Top/upper side of fenders with air scoops ducted to twin aux oil coolers in
each wheel well.

Rear Tires 15x8 Hands lookalike Rims with 225/50R15 R compound tires

Adj. rear tubular swaybar
Battery relocated to right front corner of trunk 

LED Taillights and backup lights with smoked lenses

 

Interior
Custom Med Brown/tan leather seats, low back with side bolsters and Sprint
headrests

Ididit tilt column w/ wood steering wheel and gear shift knob

Spyder Dash w/ dual CHT gages

Aux gages in pod between dash hump

(oil pressure, oil temp, rt/lt air/fuel, ammeter)

Full cage tied to rear frame and into trunk.

5 point racing harness for driver and passenger

CD/DVD/radio in stock housing with factory AC unit underneath

Rear seats just vinyl covered foam cut to shape

Lexan fixed rear qtr windows

Lexan backlite 

 

This car is incredible
the weight distribution is nearly perfect with the
lightened rear end and the handling shows it.

 

The power is phenomenal, I hope to dyno it shortly after the show and plan
to post HP charts but I am guessing well over 300HP with torque to match, on
this lightened car.

 

The car is slated to spend the next 365 days as part of the shows
promotional tour, but it becomes mine to do with as I please next year.  I
can’t wait for the first of April to come around in 2010

I’ll be cruising
in style
.in my dream car


 

Rick Loving