<VV> Belt issues

[BobHelt at aol.com]

Also, please remember that this unnamed engineer (Bob Benzinger, Chevrolet  
engine engineer) stated that the original design called for an automatic  
transmission ONLY, and NO MANUAL TRANNY. Then, he said, that at the last 
minute  marketing realized their mistake and ordered a manual transmission to 
also be  included at the introduction of the Corvair. That would tell you that 
all the  early testing was with a 2-speed PG that was NOT LIKELY to have 
belt problems.  When the MT got added a whole new set of belt conditions 
appeared (at the last  moment).
Regards,
Bob Helt
 
 
In a message dated 3/11/2013 2:08:55 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
vairologist at cox.net writes:

Smitty  Says;  Bob I know others will remember this.  We had a guest  
speaker
engineer at one of the conventions that had been asked about the  belt
problem.  He said yes we knew we had a problem.  We were  locked in on 
engine
design and could not change that.  All we could do  was try to make the belt
survive.  The belt company engineers provided  several different designs
which all failed under extreme conditions.   They finally came up with a
killer belt that did not fail in all their  testing.  They put it on the
engine with all us Chevy engineers  standing around.  They revved the engine
hard and put it through all  kinds of acceleration and deceleration.  Then
they stepped back and  smiled............. Till one of the Coevair engineers
reached over and  grabbed the throttle and immediately flipped the belt off.
They knew just  exactly what to do to make it happen.
I can tell you from experience that  if you autocross on a fast track and
down shift and dump the clutch on it,  you are likely to lose the belt.
Spike has been run on a dozen road courses  and still has the same belt 
after
8-9 years, but I heel and toe the  downshifts.  My other cars use the same
no=name belts that last for  years, but I guarantee you on my wagon (110
engine, 60 fan, PG) I can snap  one in half without moving the car.  That 
has
to be brutally hard on  the damper and bearings so I don't do that to prove 
I
can, even on a  bet.
So the answer is, again.  Yes they knew they had a problem.   They answered
it with the best belt they could provide, but even that  wasn't idiot proof.
If anybodys Corvair throws belts while being normally  driven, there is a
problem with pullys or component alignment.  The  engineering was done and 
it
works for the guy they designed it  for.