"Wes" wrote in message
...
Lewis Hartswick wrote:

Did you ever read it, Lew? Or did you read *about* it?

I read some of it. Couldn't stand to do the rest.
...lew...


I read it, the latter Corvairs were safer, too late to save the brand.
Compared to today,
the 60's cars are death traps for the most part.

Wes

The pre-'65s were the ones with the swing axles, and a frame that had
serious weaknesses in the central bay. The swing axle was just fine for
moderate driving. But, pressed hard, the car was a wild thing that took some
experience to handle. On the racetrack it absolutely needed heavy
modifications. (I spun mine at Old Bridge Speedway in NJ, even with a bunch
of modifications, because, en extremis, the rearward weight bias took over
and that was all she wrote). In '64, there was a factory-installed
transverse spring that had the same effect as a stabilizer bar -- it reduced
the tendency for the suspension to jack.

Starting in '65, the car had a better unibody and they went to a four-link
rear suspension that was functionally the same as double wishbones. At the
time, it was the most advanced suspension on any US-built car, along with
the Corvette.

But GM screwed the pooch by putting up so much resistance to Nader's
assault, particularly by trying to entrap him with a prostitute and some
other underhanded things. I think the Corvair could have weathered it all,
but trust in the company was shot to hell.

--
Ed Huntress