<VV> 62 Corvair Monza Spyder Convertible Suspension

[wrsssatty at aol.com]

< I have purchased appears to have what is left of a Stabilizer  System  
on the front suspension.>
 
When the 1962 model Corvairs were introduced in the fall of '61 Chevy, for  
the first time, offerred a "heavy-duty suspension" option for the Corvair.  
 I believe it was designated as R.P.O. (Regular Production Option) 696.  It 
 consisted of a front stabilizer (anti-roll) bar, rear rebound straps and  
shorter, stiffer springs and shocks at all four wheels.  Later, in the  
Spring of '62 when the Spyder equipment first became available, Chevy, at first, 
 required that R.P.O. 696 be ordered together with the Spyder option 
(Spyders  were not officially considered by Chevy to be a separate line until 
model year  '64 so you technically don't have a '62 Spyder, you have a '62 Monza 
with Spyder  equipment).  Anyway, at some point during the '62 model run 
Chevy  "decoupled" the Spyder option and the heavy-duty suspension option.  
This  was done either to make buying a Spyder more affordable or to allow 
consumers  put off by the harsher ride of the heavy-duty suspension to buy a 
Spyder with  the same smooth ride of all Corvairs.  You may well have an early  
production '62 Spyder with what's left of the mandatory R.P.O. 696  
equipment.  BTW, at some later point, probably beginning with model year  '63, the 
rear rebound straps were eliminated from R.P.O. 696 and Chevy engineers  
tried limiting rebound by designing less rebound into the shocks,  themselves.  
As others have already pointed out, the '64 swing axle  suspension was 
greatly modified with a front stabilizer bar on all Corvairs, a  single rear 
transverse leaf spring and recalibrated springs and shocks on all  four wheels. 
 When the big body style change came with the '65s there was  an all new 
suspension system with the rear having been designed by Corvette  chief 
engineer Dora Arkus Zuntov based upon his design which debuted on the '63  
Corvette.  
 
Also, there were a number of after market companies who provided handling  
add ons for the Corvair including front stabilizer bars.  Perhaps the most  
infamous was EMPI's "camber compensator" which was designed for the rear 
swing  axle of early Corvairs.
 
Good luck with your car and I hope perhaps with come pics of your  
suspension and info that others can provide we can solve this mystery!   Keep us 
informed.
 
~Bill Stanley