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Ne w sl e tte r o f the L e hi g h Va l l e y C or v a i r C l ub (LVC C )the fifth wheelAPRIL 2011HTTP://WWW.CORVAIR.ORG/CHAPTERS/LVCCInside this issueCookoo for Coupes!Pg. 1Secrets Revealed! 190CID Corvair EnginePg. 2Dues Are Due forSome of Yoos!Pg. 3Huge Calendar ofEvents!LVCC Meeting NotesNECC UpdatePg. 3Pg. 3Pg. 3Classified AdsPg. 3Next LVCC MeetingPg. 4Calendar of EventsPg. 4LVCC MembershipRosterPg. 6ESTABLISHED 1976Cookoo for Coupes!Who needs a Ferrari when you already ownone of the world’s most beautiful cars, aCorvair coupe?in the back seat and not worry about themjumping out the doors. There were no doorsfor the back seat!I miss coupes. Few of the car manufacturersmake them anymore. Sure, you can still buya Mitsubishi Eclipse coupe or a BMWcoupe.But I suppose child-proof door locks andchildren’s safety seats have dispelled thatlogic. Ever try buckling a wiggly little toddler into a the rear seat in a coupe? It ain’teasy! And what about squeezing your prizeheifer into the back seat of a coupe to bringher to the local 4H fair?But you can’t get a Chevy coupe, a Fordcoupe, or a Chrysler coupe anymore. NoPontiac coupes, no Oldsmobile coupes, noBuick coupes, no Dodge coupes, no Plymouth coupes. No coupes no more.It’s a sad thing. I, for one, will not give upmy coupes, and so I was recently reduced tobuying a Yaris coupe for my daily driver!What else could I do?And so, for most people, coupes are like adog that don’t hunt. Nobody buys ‘em andnobody makes ‘em.And if it’s aCorvair coupe, so much the better!Still, I’m cookoo for coupes!Why pay for fourdoors when nobodyuses the back seat?Why waste preciousresources on extradoor latches andhinges? It doesn’tseem right!Back in the good olddays, parents wantedcoupes because theycould throw the kidsCorvair Corsa Turbo Coupe sporting a set of Buick GNX wheelswith Chevy knockoff spinners. James Dow, Owner.The Fifth Wheel is published monthly by the Lehigh Valley Corvair Club (LVCC), Inc. We accept articles of interest to Corvairowners for publication. Classified advertising of interest to Corvair owners is available free of charge to all persons. Commercial advertising is also available on a fee basis. Please contact our newsletter editors, Wesley Weiss and Allan Lacki, for details.LVCC is one of the many regional chapters of the Corvair Society of America (CORSA), a non-profit organization that was incorporated to satisfy the common needs of individuals interested in the preservation, restoration, and operation of the ChevroletCorvair. LVCC caters to Corvair people who live in and around the Lehigh Valley Region of eastern Pennsylvania. This is avery special car club! LVCC dues are 10 a year for CORSA members or 15 a year for non-CORSA members.

PAGE 2T H E F IF TH W H E E LAP R I L 20 11SECRETS REVEALED! THE 190 CID CORVAIR ENGINEWith photos from Mark Langford's Corvair Site at http://www.n56ml.com/corvair/What does it take to build a 190 CID"big bore" Corvair engine? Guys usethem for powering sand rails, drag racing, road racing, boats and even airplanes! And there are plenty of articlesabout them on the internet.But most of the articles digress into allof the accessories necessary for adapting them for propellers, reverse rotation, turbocharging, and the like. Whatif you want to build a nice 190 CIDCorvair engine without all the extragingerbread?Well, the basic trick is to start with a164 CID Corvair engine and replace thecylinders and pistons with larger unitsfrom a Volkswagen 412 .Of course, there aren't many old Volkswagen 412s around anymore to serve asdonors for such a project, but this engine was also used in the Porsche 914,and so high-performance replacementparts are available. Cima, the Braziliandivision of Mahle of Germany, makesaftermarket jugs and pistons for the412/914 engine, and so that 's the secret.The Cima/Mahle jugs are substantially larger than stock Corvair jugsand so a lot of machine work is necessary to adapt them.Bob Sutcliffe of La Verne, Californiaused to sell a “kit” for converting 164CID engines to 190 CID. Bob isn't inthis business anymore, but a numberof years ago, he offered a brochurethat described the basics.Bob’s “kit” was really an exchangeservice, whereby the customer wouldsend in a Corvair engine case, heads,and rods. In return, Bob would ma- Tight clearances! A lot of die-grinderwork is necessary to eliminate all thechine them as necessary and sendpoints of interference.them back to the customer with 6Cima jugs and pistons.The work consisted of the followingmodifications:1. Bore the engine case and cylinderhead spigots for the larger diameterCima cylinders.2. Machine the Cima jugs to theproper length so that they can beused with Corvair rods.3. Machine the Cima jugs to clear theCorvair cylinder head studs.4. Notch the Cima piston skirts forclearance with the case.In addition, Bob re-worked each of thecustomer’s stock Corvair rods as follows:a. Magnaflux each rod.b. Grind the large end for clearance onBDC.c. Rebuild the large end with newARP bolts.d. Bore small end for VW pin.e. Drill two small holes in the smallend for oiling.f. Polish the beams.g. Balance.h. Shot peen.94 millimeter CIMA Mahle jug,machined to clear Corvair cylinderhead studs.When Bob sent the parts back to thecustomer, he included:6 new CIMA cylinders, 94 MM.6 new CIMA forged pistons.6 new sets Cima rings.Bob’s brochure claimed a lead time ofapproximately 30 days.As noted, Bob isn’t in this businessanymore, but there are a few other machine shops that offer “big bore” conversion services like Bob used to do.But this is definitely a “buyer beware”project. Mark Langford has been flyingCorvair-powered airplanes since 1999and has built two of 190 CID Corvairengines of his own. Mark offers thiswarning: “When anybody that asks meabout building one of these "Big Boy"engines, I usually try to discouragethem. There is a LOT of work thatgoes into a big bore engine, and thereare a lot of resulting unique parts thatare almost impossible to get.I learned that you just about can't pay amachinist enough money to create a setof these. Most folks will be at themercy of a machine shop and theirworkload and schedule. There is a lotof measurement and fine tuning withthis setup also. “And so, there you have it. A basic description of what it takes to build a 190CID Corvair engine

AP R I L 20 11DUES ARE DUE FOR SOMEOF YOOS!Annual dues are due every August foreverybody in the club. At our Marchmeeting, Treasurer Dick Weidner notedthat some of our members haven’t paidup this year. We’re thinking that someof you may have forgotten! If youamong them, you will receive a reminder notice this month. Annual duesfor LVCC are 15, but if you are also amember of the Corvair Society ofAmerica (CORSA), then you pay only 10. Either way, LVCC membership isthe Bargain of the Century!HUGE CALENDAR OFEVENTS!Please take a look at the Calendar ofEvents in this issue of The Fifth Wheel.It is two pages long! Spring is here andthe time is right for driving in thestreets with your Corvair!LVCC MEETING NOTESLVCC held its regular monthly meetingon March 23, 2011. Vice PresidentDennis Stamm chaired the meeting.Dick Weidner presented the minutes ofthe February meeting and gave theTreasurers report. LVCC has 1,483.22 in its checking account. Attendees also included Keith Kohler,Randy Kohler, Allan Lacki, James McNalley, and Fred Scherzer.Correspondence: Dick Weidner reported that he received a letter from theTidewater Corvair Club inviting LVCCmembers to the 2011 Virginia VairFair, which is being held Friday andSaturday, May 13 - May 14, 2011. Details about this event are posted athttp://www.vairfair.com/Randy Kohler submitted an announcement about the 48th Das AwkschtFescht for publication in the CORSACommunique. Randy coordinates theCorvair display every year for thisevent, which will be held again on August 5th, 6th & 7th - 2011.T H E F IF TH W H E E LGeneral Discussion: Dick Weidnertalked about the Corvair Affair event heattended in Florida, which included afly-in with Corvair-powered aircraft.Fred Scherzer announced that two autoenthusiasts magazines, Car Collectorand Cars & Parts, have fallen victim tocompetition with the internet. They areno longer in print. Randy Kohler talkedabout a recent experience he had in submitting a claim to his antique car insurance agent. (Those who attended ourmeeting heard all about the juicy details!)NECC UPDATERegistration is now open for the CorvairOlympics, in Indianapolis, Indiana.Three days of time trials, autocross anddrag-racing. June 16, 2011 - Time trials at PutnamPark, Mount Meridian, IN June 17, 2011 - Drag racing at MuncieDragway, Albany, IN June 18, 2011 - Autocross at CarbonMotors Plant, Connersville, INVisit www.neccmotorsports.com to register. Or contact Allan Lacki at redbat01@verizon.net for more information. LVCC is an NECC member club.CLASSIFIED ADSFor Sale: 1969 Monza Coupe. Completely disassembled. Incredible body,running original 110-HP engine and PGtrans, comes with all glass, seats, somechrome trim pieces. Original silver exterior paint, black interior (no headliner,no carpet). Complete undercarriage sandblasted and painted with POR-15. Nofront suspension, no wheels or tires.Must be trailered home. Body ismounted on dollies, can be winched orrolled onto trailer. Again, car is completely disassembled. Lost interest. 300.00. Located in PA. Call RayCoker, 570-946-9971 or 908-907-7328.(LaPorte, PA)For Sale: 1963 Corvair Monza convertible. White exterior with black top.Powerglide. 1,500. Photos of thislovely car are shown right here on thisPAGE 3page. Contact Keith Koehler. (215)703-0644. kpissant@verizon.net