Yeah, I thot the Corvair had a good idea. I wasn’t too fond of the air-cooled engine and the belt system on it tho.
When I checked out a Volkswagen and found out how they were able to use rear engine, I was inpressed.
Dagosa, what do you mean by your statement?
dagosaJanuary 29Report Rear engine cars would have to have more efficient drive trains and make for better economy
“I don’t think it got great gas mileage, though…”
Apparently, your recollections are not the same as those of some other Corvair owners.
I can vividly recall a customer in the gas station where I worked (circa 1969), who pulled in and said, “Check the gas and fill the oil”. I laughed and said, “I think you mean check the oil and fill the gas”, and the customer replied, “I guess you’re not too familiar with Corvairs”!
"…Apparently, your recollections are not the same as those of some other Corvair owners…"
Probably not. It was a very long time ago.
The 1960 Corvair, which was the first model, did not get good mileage in the winter in cold climates, even on the highway. However, it did get reasonably good mileage for the time period in the summer. The reason for this is that the 1960 Corvair had a gasoline heater. The 1961 and subsequent models had a hot air heater that pulled the air across the exhaust manifold.
In my experience with the 1961 Corvair, oil burning was not a problem, but oil leakage was. I had to have some resealing work done do correct this problem.
I still think if Chevrolet had put a camber compensator (a transverse spring) between the two rear axle shafts, the car would not have had the bad reputation for oversteer. I spent $15 at J.C. Whitney for the camber compensator and installed it in about 15 minutes. This really made the car handle well when compared with other cars in this time period. The 1964 Corvair did incorporate this transverse spring as standartd equipment. The 1965 and later Corvairs had a fully independent rear suspension and didn’t use the swing axles. These second generation Corvairs handled very well. In fact, I think that the 1965 and later Corvairs handled better than the Ford Mustangs of this era.
Triedac- To answer your question about school busses, both front and rear engine school busses are available today.
The front engined busses are cheaper and easier to repair but hold fewer passangers in the same length bus. The student population and geographical size of the school district are usually the detwrmining factor in which to buy, also how long a time the district is willing to have the students on the bus.
oldtimer 11-- I’ve seen both types on the road today. A couple of the school districts in my area of the midwest operate both types of school buses. The owner-operator of a school bus has pretty much died out here. A friend and colleague about my age (70) parents bought a farm that included a school bus and route as part of the deal. His mother was one of the first female school bus drivers in the state in the lae 1940s.
The school buses I rode were shorter than the school bus of today. I was one of the first on the route along with a classmate. As we got older, we were the bigger kids on the bus. When there was a lot of snow, we rode in the front seat where it was warm, but when we came to a corner, we had to man the snow shovels so that the bus could make the corner. Today’s school buses would not be able to make the corners on the narrow country roads. As a result, the schools today are closed in weather that we would have school. I also remember the bus getting stuck just after we picked up one high school girl. She got her dad’s Farmall tractor, hooked a chain to the bus and pulled it through the snow drift.
EllyEllis…we all think of the Corvair and VW but Europe especially with the Smart For Two, Renaults, Simcas, Fiats…all had a plethora of rear engine cars with the motors hanging out over the rear wheels making for short efficient drive trains and the rest of the body used for passengers. It’s the most efficient way to move people in both cars and busses though not necessarily the safest in small light cars,especially at high speeds and windy conditions.
Dagosa. I know, I owned 2 Renaults, a '61 and a '64. The '64 had an (“automatic transmission”.
Now THIS (see link) is where the engine should be!
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=morgan+three+wheeler&qpvt=morgan+three+wheeler&FORM=IGRE#x0y1726