1 Oct./Nov 2011 #36 ND CORSA Ontario Membership. CORSA Ontario Membership remains at $25.00 per calendar year with an electronic newsletter. If you wish to receive a paper copy the cost is $30 per year. Make cheques payable to CORSA Ontario and mail to membership chair(address P.7). Website Visit our website at: http://www.corsaontario.com/ Phil Ellis updates the site regularly. Here you can find archived copies of the newsletter and the list of upcoming events. Page 1 - Corvairiations, CORSA Ontario, Oct/Nov. 2011
2 Hello Everyone, Prez Sez, Oct., 2011 John Inglis organized the Creemore tour. Thanks, John. I saw parts of Ontario that were new to me, especially The Hills of Mulmur. The beers were tasty and the sunshine that Adele brought, enjoyable. We set off home to the west to travel south on 124. Error! Foodstock was in session and the traffic jam was 10 km long. About 15 members and families came out. More early Corvairs than late...doesn t happen too often. Dave Binnie and Kim Stankiewicz are the co-conspirators for the November 13 tech meeting. Details have been emailed and please note the change of venue. I expect some help with directions will be forthcoming. I also expect some information re. the Xmas dinner will likely arrive soon from Monika. At that dinner the gift certificates from Clark s will be distributed by the numbers. Several members have reserved rooms in Sturbridge for the convention next July. Trying to reserve on-line was frustrating for some and the solution was to call the hotel and ask for a room reserved for the Corsa Convention. This coming convention draws members from one of the highest concentrations of Corvairs in the world. Register early and get a room. Register late and get a tent. My Rampside is still in stirrups with its bottom exposed. For several weeks I have done some exploratory surgery and removed the starter, the torque converter and the flex plate. Hours, many hours, have been spent going over each part looking for the causes of the clanking noise that made me take the Ramp off the road. So far the only problem found has been the starter bolts. A cursory glance tells you that they are correct. No way, Hosea. The inexperienced mechanic (me) installed incorrect bolts, longer than stock and with fewer threads. The shoulder between the threads and the head is too long, perhaps 1/8th of an inch. Installation with a socket went well and the bolts snugged down when the shoulder mated to the bell housing. It worked for a while. Then, last spring on initial startup, the extra torque twisted the starter out of alignment. This caused the ring gear flange to hit the silver collar on the starter drive gear shaft. You can see the chewed edge on the collar only if you look for it. When I re and re d two more starters I repeated the same mistake. Mike and I started the engine on the ground using washers on the starter bolts to replace the diff flange. Noise went away. The larger holes in the washers allowed the bolts to tighten properly. A restart confirmed the solution. Now I struggle with remating the diff and P glide to the bell housing. A Corsa Ontario executive meeting has been scheduled the week after our tech meeting. Agenda item: Impeach the President. We need executive volunteers.. Jim Kim Stankiewicz, Performance Initiatives, 2-25 McIntyre Place, Kitchener, Ontario, N2R 1H1, 519 584-4333 Sunday, Nov. 13, 2.00pm happytrail@primus.ca Page 2 - Corvairiations, CORSA Ontario, Oct/Nov. 2011
3 THE CORVAIR POWERGLIDE TRANSMISSION By Bob Helt Strange as it may seem, the Corvair Powerglide transmission was patterned after the Model T Ford (1908-1928) transmission. Both of these transmissions used a sun and planetary gear set that provided two speeds forward and one reverse. The main difference being of course that the Corvair tranny included automatic shifting between the two forward gears, with the addition of a torque converter that multiplied the low speed engine torque. In addition, of course, the Corvair Powerglide was simply a slightly smaller version of the Chevrolet big-car Powerglide that had been in production for many years, and was fully developed from Proving Grounds testing and customer experiences. Thus it was that the Corvair Powerglide was an exceptionally rugged transmission that incorporated many of the worst-case fixes made necessary by Chevrolet's prior experiences. For example, the Powerglide was designed to be capable of withstanding without failure 100 WOT low-to-reverse shifts on dry pavement. This was ensure the ability to accept possible customer abuse. (Frank Winchell said that this test was the result of actual driving responses by the public) Of course not every transmission was tested this way. But periodically a production unit would be so tested to ensure that this criterion was still being met. The bell housing surrounding the torque converter allowed cooling air to be sucked in thru an opening and swirled around the converter prior to being exited from the housing. This effectually cooled the converter and the lubricating oil within. While fairly effective for normal driving, the oil was prone to running at high temperatures when the converter was maximizing the torque multiplication at high ambient outside temperatures. This lead to factory recommendations of frequent transmission oil changes The torque converter was capable of multiplying the torque a maximum of 2.4 times (later 2.6). This, coupled with the low gear ratio of 1.82:1 gave an effective low speed gearing of 4.36 with the 3.55:1 rear axle ratio. With the brakes firmly set and the transmission in low gear, the 80 HP engine speed was limited to 1600 rpm at WOT. This was called the stall speed. Although there is no official documentation known, it is believed that later engines were allowed a higher stall speed to more nearly match their torque characteristics. Although a high speed lockup was considered (all current production vehicles use a lockup), it was never used on the Powerglides. As a result there was always some slight slippage in the converter even at a steady cruising speed. Maximum coupling was about 94% at 100 Lb-ft torque. One nice feature, not commonly provided now was the ability to push-start a dead engine because of the included rear oil pump in the transmission. Page 3 - Corvairiations, CORSA Ontario, Oct/Nov. 2011 2
4 Although, there were slight changes made nearly each year, there are really two different versions of the Corvair Powerglide. One designed for the 140/145 CID engines with their torque capabilities and a second version designed to handle the greater torque available from the 164 CID engines. This second version transmission used much higher internal oil pressures to counter this increased engine torque. While this later version Powerglide may be installed and used with the smaller engines, it is not recommended that the earlier version ever be mounted to a LM engine because of the lower internal pressures that might allow slipping and loss of power under some circumstances. There was also a modification to this second version Powerglide that was used for the 140 HP, four carburetor engines, (Powerglide was never available with the turbocharger engines.) This modification effectively raised the shift points to more nearly match the increased speed of the engine. One might wonder if there were ever any hidden defects or operational problems discovered in the Corvair powerglides. We can't think of any but there were a few common failures due to age and wear. These follow. After standing unused for several days, the transmission oil would tend to drain from the converter and settle in the pan. This raised the fluid level to the point that it would leak from a worn or damaged control cable where it entered the transmission, leaving big oil spots under the vehicle. The fix was to replace this cable or tightly wrap the leaking portion of the cable with an oil-tight covering (available from vendors). Another possible problem is the diaphragm failure in the modulator allowing transmission oil to be sucked into the engine via the vacuum hose connection. This can be checked by pulling the short coupler hose from the balance tube and looking for a wet condition (i.e., ATF fluid there). This fix was to simply replace the faulty modulator. In addition, a faulty modulator possibly allowed some uncontrolled shifts that could have broken the e-clip within the valve body. This required the valve body to be removed and a new e-clip to be installed. The broken or lost e-clip resulted in erratic shifting. Failure of the front oil seal in the differential would allow transmission oil to enter the differential and mix with the differential lube causing excessive wear on the ring and pinion within. This was an infrequent problem luckily. And lastly, the already mentioned factory recommendations to make frequent transmission oil changes due to deterioration of the ATF. This article came from Bob Helt of the Vegas Vairs. Nov.13 Tech session Dave Binnie Location: Kim Staniewicz s Dec.10 Christmas dinner at Allan & Monika Augaustine s home Port Maitland, ON Page 4 - Corvairiations, CORSA Ontario, Oct/Nov. 2011
5 Oct.16th Fall Tour & Visit to the Creemore Springs Brewery Company Thanks to John Inglis for arranging the event & taking these pictures. Page 5 - Corvairiations, CORSA Ontario, Oct/Nov. 2011
6 September Swap Meet Thanks to Dick & Judy Dean for hosting our fall swap meet. The weather was wonderful. Everyone there enjoyed the chance to talk and catch up on the latest info about on-going projects. Judy provided coffee and delicious homemade cookies and squares. Later on we rounded out the day with pizza. Many items changed hands throughout the day. Page 6 - Corvairiations, CORSA Ontario, Oct/Nov. 2011
7 Corsa Ontario Executive 2011: Past President: David Hughes davidhughes833@hotmail.com, 80 McDonald, Maple, Ontario L6A 2B2, 905 833-6858 Treasurer: David Hughes Editor Corvairiations: Norma Diell njdl@sympatico.ca President & Membership: Jim Diell njdl@sympatico.ca 401 Beechwood, Burlington, ON L7L 3P7, 905 634-1996 Webmaster, Al Kidd, 738 Old School Rd., Caledon, ON, L7C 0V6, 905-838-3533. webmaster@corsaontario.com Technical Director (E-mail) Dave Binnie forced@sympatico.ca Program Director: Don Buchanan rubberman@sympatico.ca Website Updater: Phil Ellis ellispj@cogeco.ca Concours Chair : Stan East sgeast@interlog.com Director at Large: Allan Augustine aaugustine@lastmilenet.ca A Request or two I am willing to give up the editor s position if you are interested in taking a more active role in Corsa Ontario. Articles from the members are especially welcome. Pictures and information about work you are doing on your vehicle are helpful. As well, we are always receptive to ideas for events or places to visit for the meetings you know what is in your area best. Clark s Corvair Parts Clark s has been your supplier for quality repros for the past 37 years. This year, we expect to reproduce even more parts for your Corvair. See the Supplement for the following: Various New FC Items 1964 Trim Turbo parts stainless gas tank senders Late model steering column parts 650 Page 2007-2012 Catalog USA - $6 CANADA - $9.95 Most Other Countries - $12.95 Clark s Corvair Parts 400 Mohawk Trail, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 413-625-9776 FAX: 413-625-8498 www.corvair.com email: clarks@corvair.com Page 7 - Corvairiations, CORSA Ontario, Oct/Nov. 2011
8 RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP We welcome you to (re)join Corsa Ontario. It s easy to do. The cost has remained at $25.00 per calendar year for over ten years! $30 if you want it sent by Canada Post! Please use a cheque made out to CORSA ONTARIO and send it to: Jim Diell 401 Beechwood Cr. BURLINGTON, ON L7L 3P7 905 634-1996 (njdl@sympatico.ca) Your name: To-day s Date Spouse s Name (or significant other): Amount Encl.. Your mailing address: Telephone: Email: Your Cars: Comments: I volunteer to help Corsa Ontario by C R E E M O R E We enjoyed a brief tour of the facilities at the Creemore Brewery. Before and after the well done tour we were able to sample their lager and another specialty beer. Many of us took the opportunity to purchase some souvenirs, including some of the sampled beverage. Page 8 - Corvairiations, CORSA Ontario, Oct/Nov. 2011