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Uncommon Motors

When ordinary just won't do

If You’re Considering a Corvair, Why Not Consider a V8 Up Front?

September 5, 2016 by Paul Crowe

1965 Corvair with small block Chevy 305 up front
1965 Corvair with small block Chevy 305 up front

Some cars just cry out for an engine swap, the lure of more power and performance creates an irresistible urge too hard to resist, but some owners take the idea a step further and put the transplant in a new location, like in this 1965 Corvair where the old flat six out back was replaced with a 305 Chevy V8 installed up front. Nice!

V8 powered Chevy Corvair looks like your average 60s muscle car
V8 powered Chevy Corvair looks like your average 60s muscle car

Of course, the old swing arm rear suspension was tossed and replaced with the rear end from a Chevy S-10 pickup and there are some long tube headers on the engine, a transmission cooler, dual electric fans to help with cooling, however, missing in the seller’s description is just how the swap was accomplished. There are also no detail photos of any chassis modifications or anything else designed to handle the extra power and weight. That’s important to know in a build like this.

Hood scoop and grille, something you don't see on your standard Corvair
Hood scoop and grille, something you don’t see on your standard Corvair

Filed Under: American, Cars Tagged With: 1960s, Chevrolet, Corvair, engine swaps

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Comments

  1. Felipe Zapata says

    September 5, 2016 at 10:41 am

    It’s the paint job that really sets it apart. Nice.

  2. E. R. Ellquist says

    September 5, 2016 at 7:21 pm

    I saw a car on the Jay Leno’s Garage show, an episode called “Sleepers, Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”. It was a Ford Fiesta, I believe. The Special name for this is the Shogun. It has a Ford Taurus SHO V6 installed in the rear in what used to be a front engine front wheel drive mini compact. With nitrous…. According to Leno, only ten of these cars were made. Ridiculously fast, the episode might be available at YouTube. I wonder if there are any kits to install a modern front wheel drive Honda or Toyota water cooled motor in the rear of an old Corvair. Apparently sorting out the suspension issues with these Corvairs isn’t that difficult, so there’s that. E

  3. William E Wilkes says

    October 1, 2019 at 12:19 pm

    Wish it had more info about how it set up?

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