Corvair 102hp Engine Reassembly!

[@TheEDNC]

NOTICE: After rebuilding dozens of Corvairs since 1972, be very careful if the valve guides need replacement, (super critical that they are of the right material, angle, and fitment) plus I would strongly suggest replacing the stock pushrod driven fuel pump with an in-tank electric fuel pump with a return line … you must know why, right?

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

I'm always skeptical when someone recommends throwing away stock equipment...

[@TheEDNC]

@@SealedBeamRallyTeam I once restored a 1964 Spyder Convertible to OEM perfection… a work of passion… It was even photographed for MotorTrend. The fully rebuilt fuel pump (with genuine GM Chevy parts BTW) diaphragm failed on me while casually tracking the car at Lime-Rock Ct. It cracked then leaked/siphoned fuel directly into the crankcase seizing 4 cylinders and snapping rods… totaled.. completely heart broken. : ( So I bought a short block from Yanko and placed it in the car. (That is after I rebuilt the tranny and clutch assembly to handle the extra power) They even supplied the correct in-tank pump to go with it at the time. (I then modded the engine with the larger turbo off a 180hp Spyder which was fitted with a Weber 45-DCOE two-barrel side-draft carb. It benched at 260hp! Man, was it one Awesome Spyder after that! Eventually sold it to a Corvair collector in Arizona. 🖖

[@jamesb.9155]

Wow. Useful veteran info!

[@donaldproctor5661]

I saw a guy who was putting the piston rings in the cylinder and measuring the Gap with a feeler gauge before he put them on the Pistons. Is that something you would recommend or only necessary under certain applications

[@TheEDNC]

@@donaldproctor5661 Prefitting rings is a necessity.. especially on used worn cylinder bores. After the bore has been cut and honed, separate the rings out on a table per cylinder, oil the bore, place the top compression ring in the cylinder and square it off using the face of the piston from the top of the bore. Check gap for consistency from top to bottom of the stroke. There should be no more than 0.03 difference I believe. Now repeat this process for all 6 cylinders. Good luck

[@patcarbone1753]

Sorry the stud broke, I like that you show the successes as well as the difficulties. I know you will get it fixed step back and try not to get too frustrated.

[@TheChupacabra]

The last crank on the last bolt

[@dalemettee1147]

Several people I've talked to said one of the biggest problems they had was the seals that kept the oil from leaking out of the valve push rod tubes.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Yep, they are pretty low down. I believe I bought the Viton ones, so hopefully they work alright. At least they are relatively beasily accessible if they don't.

[@ZIPCORD]

Torqueing head bolts (and pressing Cam gears) on a Corvair will age one many years from the stress. Regardless of manufacture I always torque heads in 5 ft. lb. increments. It more evenly spreads the load and has less stress at the next "move up stage". Torque values differ if dry or wet (lubricated). ARP sells a "head bolt lube" but unless you are using their bolts/studs it might not be ideal. I used a whisper of very light oil on the threads and under the nut head when I torqued. This actually puts more stress on the stud because you are reading less friction but more stud pull. Bob Helt's Classic Corvair mentioned a friend of his stopping at 25 ft. lb.'s without issues and thus I did (especially given the added lubrication). I don't recall my studs twisting. I was going to ask if you were using the right scale on the torque wrench but 2.8 Newton Meter's is less than 25 ft. lb's so I doubt it was the case. Twisting studs would only seem to occur if the nut was binding on the stud. Or, it only "appeared" to be twisting but in reality was threading into the case. At least it is an outside stud that broke. More often than not the aluminum in the case gives out before a stud breaks and then the block needs a Time-Cert or Heli-Coil. Hopefully you resolve this without further issues. Regarding the fan bearing the install is best done before the cover is bolted on. And as you mentioned YES, cleaning the exterior after the sheet metal was removed would have been ideal. If any seals looked really bad (like on the push rod tubes) a dab of silicone would have temporarily helped to keep water out. All this is recoverable from, it will just take time.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Originally I wanted to replace all the studs with new. Then I realized how many people have had *serious issues* doing so. Should have checked them for torque ahead of time. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with 5 lb increments. Would have been nice if they'd used a consistent hex size for all the head nuts. I think my torque wrench is going wacky, and I'm not sure what to do about it just yet. Sometimes it kinda jams up. May take it apart, service, and calibrate. May just buy a nicer one with my employee discount.

[@A_Litre_of_Farva]

Oh man, I felt your pain when that stud broke. Thanks for the great video. And thank goodness for Clarks!!!

[@jackelliott872]

I admire your patience, you are only human to cope with frustration and anxiety, alcohol has been used since early biblical times, don't be so hard on yourself. Great work here. It would have been advantageous to have the engine mounted so you could rotate it 360 degrees as you worked on each side or surface.

[@ercost60]

WOW, your crank pulley is much larger in diameter than my 140's harmonic balancer. Good luck on your project!

[@timwerner7771]

You will get many suggestions on how to "hotrod" this engine but my advice is to ignore it. ANYTHING we do to get more h.p. from an aircooled engine increases the amount of heat they generate and heat is their worst enemy. Instead of adding more HP, I would add more oil- cooling,...possibly a remote oil cooler with a higher-volume oil pump would be what I would de when rebuilding a corvair flat -6. Enjoy your videos! Thank you. I am a "badger" now living in "Buckeye land"

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Yep, I am looking for reliability more than anything. I put the pro flow oil pump on so i can run an external oil cooler later

[@jamesb.9155]

The first and only Corvair Engine work/rebuild I have seen. I wished to see the bottom end rebuilt too. Seems impossible not to!

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

I really didn't want to go as deep as I did! Maybe some day in the future, I'll get in there.

[@mkepler5861]

when installing the rocker arm studs, it works best to install them in pairs with the O ring already on the inside of the rocker arm stud. this way you don't have to fight getting the rocker arm stud past the O ring.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Good idea

[@andrewlewis3486]

Make sure the ring grooves are absolutely clean!

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Did my level best. It's really hard to get in there without removing the studs or splitting the case, and I didn't want to open either of those cans of worms

[@elebeu]

That broken stud is a setback but you are very lucky that it didn't break off flush with the crankcase. It won't be much trouble to weld a nut to that stud and remove what is left.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

You should check out my video on removing the stud!

[@Friedbrain11]

Put the No.1 piston at the top dead center before putting the heads on. Then go from there. I have played and rebuilt enough of these motors heheheh. I love Corvairs.

[@ercost60]

45:40 Damn! I've never broken a stud but I've had several pull out. Giant step backward. Building an engine is fun, even therapeutical. EXCEPT for torquing the heads on, which is the most nerve-racking part.

[@barryhuddlestun3098]

Please cover the pistons and crankshaft openings to prevent dirt from entering while you clean and wrench in the area. Safety also can prevent damage to the parts you are not working on.

[@paul8172]

That was heartbreaking and a bit terrifying since I'm currently rebuilding a 65 engine. When I get to the torquing stage, I'll be having flashbacks to that fateful moment.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Some commenters have recommended testing the torque before installing the cylinders- that way, it's easier to replace a stud if one breaks.

[@lostwrenchgarage]

Just want to say I really enjoy your channel. Not only is your content interesting, but your editing is well done. It’s also very relevant to me bc I’m going through the same process with my Corvair now. You seem to have a lot more knowledge and experience than me, so your videos are really helpful. Can you explain a bit about why you chose not to split the crankcase on this build? I need to make that same decision and I’m wondering what variables went into it for you, and whether anything since then has changed your mind on that. For example, I noticed you had to take measures to protect the inside of the crankcase during cleaning. Would you still recommend not opening it to maybe help that process? Not questioning your decision at all, just looking to understand better for me. Sorry that stud broke. That had to be heartbreaking. I’m sure you’ll get it worked out. Keep up the good work. I look forward to your next video!

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Hey, thank you very much! For editing, I use a free program called Olive, but I pay a lot of attention to audience retention to understand what people like to watch, and what they skip. Intros are really hard though! Originally I wasn't even going to pull the heads off. In the disassembly video I noticed how bad the cylinders looked, with one even scored inside. But once I got those off, the pistons didn't look that bad to my untrained eye. The machining wasn't worn off, and there was no noticeable noise or play in the rotating assembly (even while running). At this point, if I did it again, I would power wash the hell out of the engine before even removing valve covers. That, and probably put a plastic bag over the engine while it's sitting. Letting it just lie there on a table was a dumb decision. In fact, I make a lot of dumb decisions! You'll see some other ones in future videos. I know they exist already, and I'm not quite ready to crack that egg yet. We shall see what happens. I did some mechanic work on my cars before this channel, but I will freely admit that my skills and experience skyrocketed once I started filming (and researching for the filming)... nobody wants to be filmed saying something wrong! Thanks, I appreciate it. I've got some work to do on the F600 and we will be back on the Corvair after. It's good to get a break from the stressful projects and switch gears.

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

It's amazing how similar the VW engine and these are alike except for the Corvair is like on steroids.

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

When I went to airplane mechanic school, we pulled valve seats out of heads using heat. We used temperature indicating sticks (wax that melted at a precise temperature), so we would not overheat the head and watch it turn into an expensive pool of slushy metal right before our eyes.

[@timwerner7771]

I cannot recall for sure but I am pretty sure the air baffles must go under the cylinder jugs before you install the heads. For sure they must go in prior to the push rod tubes.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

You're probably right about them going above the pushrod tubes. I'm quite confident they snap below the head studs, unlike a VW. But then, it's my first time doing all this!

[@TestECull]

46:22 pair of channel locks spin that right out, new stud, carry on.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Lol, it took quite a bit more than even vice grips. Check out the recent video

[@marcgray-dx2dk]

Love the Corvair content. Does Clark’s recommend not gapping the rings?? I’ve done the quickly rebuilds with out gapping rings and have had issues. In the process of purchasing another early so I’m sure I’ll be right where you’re at very soon. Can’t wait to see yours running and on the road.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

You know, they said nothing about it. Every other part they send out has meticulous instructions, processes, torque specs. The rings and cylinders say "standard". I don't have a good excuse for why I didn't check ring gap. Guess I was figuring the rings and cylinders are both brand new, to the same spec, and should work. Risky? Possibly. Be interesting to know if auto factories check ring gap when they build new engines.

[@kipcook6514]

Yup, did a 60' in the summer of 79. I was 13. Bought it for $100, barn find. Got my ADL at 14, and off i went. Loved that car.

[@timwerner7771]

I love that you show "when the poop hits the propeller" Most videos only show "perfection" . Good for you to leave the "bad" stuff in. (It is not "bad" by the way just reality!

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Well, it would take a lot more effort to cover it up, too!

[@MrWaalkman]

I was sitting here wondering about the orientation of those rings, and hoping that you would catch it if it was wrong. You did. :) The last time that I did a ring job was I think 1976. It's been a minute. I can relate to the bicycling story. It was my main method of transportation back in the day. No trailer though. :) The stud is a nuisance, but I'm hoping that you have more than enough material to weld a nut on and back it out. Perseverance is the key. I'm going a different route on my engine that bent a pushrod and put a fairly deep hole in the head (fixable, but since it is a smogger engine not really worth it). I'm swapping it out for an engine that LeVair Performance pulled to make room for a 140 HP engine. It's a recent rebuild and should last me forever. Keep us posted. :)

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Hey! Someone made it to the epilogue! :) Thank you for the support. Are you putting a 140 in?

[@MrWaalkman]

@@SealedBeamRallyTeam It's a 102hp (110hp?) non-smogger. Mines a smogger (90hp) that ate a bolt and bent a pushrod. The one that I bought was a leftover engine that got pulled for a swap to a 140hp. I had hoped to get it yesterday, but we had a full day of rain and my buddy (with the truck) didn't want to risk it. Hopefully we will get it Monday. :)

[@barberjeff67]

It's always good to have the proper vocabulary and "sentence enhancers" to work properly on vintage cars!

[@novii68]

👍👍

[@TestECull]

31:50 The easiest awy...and correct...way to assemble engines like this is with the pistons separate from the rods. You'd press the wrist pins out after disassembly, put the rings on the pistons, slide them into the jugs, then press the pins back in again when fitting to the block. That ring compressor would be far more pleasant to use if things were done that way as you'd be nudging the pistons into the jugs just as you would on a liquid cooled engine rather than trying to nudge the jugs onto the pistons.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Yep, would have liked to take the entire thing apart but I'm trying to limit expense and time.

[@TestECull]

@@SealedBeamRallyTeam Ye it looked like the rods are press fit so there may be a special tool one needs. Maybe split the crankcase, take the rods off the crank, 20-ton them out, or a jig and portapower, some shenanigans. Would be a lot easier with floating pins that would pop right out with just the removal of a circlip; I think this is how Subaru does it as I know you have to walk one of the pins out of a hole in the bottom of the cylinder below where the rings sweep to get them apart. Also, interestingly enough, how some of my RC airplane engines come apart. I 'spose as long as nothing got scored or broken it all worked. Truth be told I'da probably just been fiddlefarting each ring into the jug one at a time with a plastic or wooden tool of some sort...

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

@@TestECull don't forget mic'ing the main bearings, potentially just throwing new pistons on it, cleaning the case, balancing the rods... All stuff i would want to do in that case. Not worth it at this point. MO is to get the car on the road, then take it down for smaller stuff as needed.

[@TestECull]

@@SealedBeamRallyTeam Ye truth be told I probably wouldn't have gone any deeper into it than getting the tins off to clean the mouse house out of the cooling fins if it were mine. When you first got it running I didn't see a puff of smoke, it sounded meaty, it was hitting on all six. Running...honestly better than my 14 Challenger with 120k miles on it does. I don't think you would have had a lick of trouble out of it, even as a daily driver, leaving those heads, jugs, rings right where they were. That clutch was also basically brand new, too. Fluid services, clean the fins out, and the rest would be chassis repair I think. Kinda makin' me want a corvair not gonna lie. but I have a feeling they'd be terrible for my RC airplane hobby. Then again so is my challenger.....

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

@@TestECull Food for thought- when I brought the heads in, the head guy said the valve guides were toast!

[@crownmoldingbyspectaculart941]

I had a few studs come loose from the block during disassembly and I’m preparing to install new heads. I plan to loctite the studs when reinstalling and m nervous about running them in too far.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

I did replace the one of mine that came out. I put in a .030 over stud which worked great. I've read the holes in the crank case actually open up a little when you torque the studs down, so you can't always just put the old ones back in! Best of luck on it!

[@jamesb.9155]

Umm. Careful! Drill and re-fit new studs.

[@crownmoldingbyspectaculart941]

@@jamesb.9155 before drilling and tapping for a larger stud I installed a new same size stud using 1-1/2 Helicoils and it held torque. I have the heads off again so hopefully it doesn’t give me any trouble when I reinstall.

[@mkepler5861]

yeah, that sucks, when a stud breaks!!! I can sympathize with that.

[@dalemettee1147]

So, if you wanted to upgrade this engine to more H.P. how would you go about it? What would you need to change? Compression, cam timing, valves, super charger?

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

There are a lot of corvair performance resources out there, but I unfortunately am not one of them. What I have read is the main difference between low and high hp (stock) engines is the head design and piston design. I am not interested in hot rodding this engine, as my focus here is on reliability.

[@gregdowd939]

Good investment is new studs.....most always

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

The prevailing opinion seemed to be that one should not remove studs unless necessary, because of the possibility of damaging the case.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

Left ? You tube is a mirror image.. How about Top or Bottom dot towards the crankcase or towards the heads?

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Not a mirror image, lol. Check anything with writing on it! Cell phones do it with selfies but the GoPro doesn't. Anyway it doesn't matter which ring points which direction as long as they don't line up with each other. It's just easy to think "top left" on each one for consistency.

[@williamgamble7887]

I have a 1966 Chevy Corvair need to engine rebuild

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Enjoy!

[@nightfurynova]

How well does the ultrasonic cleaner work? I’m rebuilding a corvair engine now

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

It's pretty good when you use the right cleaning solution

[@kevinmckay810]

Is it just because I'm from California and I don't have rust in my I make sure I clean my before we work on them that's absolutely horrible!

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Yeah, I definitely messed up by not cleaning the whole thing first!

[@classicstangbrn8964]

The bearing are sealed in the case so you can't get water to it that way.

[@user-fu7qg8mq5v]

im suprised he didn't clean & re use the rings

[@dennisrcole]

Did you check your ring gap and orientation ?

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Orientation is shown in the video. For some reason I neglected to check the ring gap. Guess I was hoping since it's all stock replacement, that it will be ok? Definitely wish I would have checked

[@larrybailey43]

Will those engines mount to an engine stand ?

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Probably. Was i too lazy to put it in the stand? Yes

[@bradsanderson9606]

Wouldn't it be easier to remove the piston and rod assembly and the put them in the jugs and then reinstall to the crankshaft.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

That is one option. But if I had to split the case I would have had to mic the bearings, and add a lot of cost and time. I didn't really even want to pull the jugs!

[@bradsanderson9606]

@@SealedBeamRallyTeam no need to split the case or mic the crank, just remove the rod caps and pull out the jug and piston assembly. Then reinstall. Using the old rod bearings.

[@timwerner7771]

If you install Clark's aluminum oil pan and new pickup tube you will be able to drain the oil without raising the car!. Clark's placed the drain -bolt on the back edge instead of underneath the engine

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

That would be nice. I looked at their upgrade options but it wasn't in the initial "get it on the road" budget and can be done later without dropping the engine. I also will need to put a thick skid plate on this for forest road use though, so access may be difficult either way.

[@paulgrimm]

My Corvair sprayed oil like a crop duster 😂

[@andrewlewis3486]

Are sure that your torque wrench is accurate?

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

It feels accurate on other bolts. One thing the Corvair people said is it's important to check the studs for torque ahead of time so the studs break *before* you do all this work. Of course I'm learning a lot about Corvairs with this project!

[@doughboy1966]

Dang it at 2:53 no 10 mm sockets found.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Ha! I did find an 8 point socket in one of the heads, or between the cylinders maybe, when I took the engine apart!

[@classicstangbrn8964]

This is painful to watch. Never seen anybody install rings like that, done 50 or so Corvair motors over the years. I would have split the case and cked the bearings.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

I wanted to pull it apart further, but most of the wear and tear seems to have been environmental. I'm trying (unsuccessfully) to limit the time and expense to get the thing roadworthy again! The main bearings will likely need attention in the future, but I didn't notice knocking on the "will it run", so probably has some life left. And yeah, installing rings this way SUCKS

[@rodgraff1782]

Reminds me of building my flat six air cooled Porsche Engines. The right way to work on these engines is to use a rotating engine stand. He shouldn’t have to fight the rings. Never use a hammer to seat the rings. You will crack one and not know. Slight tapping it’s your hand should be all that is necessary if everything is clean and lubed, use a quality ring compressor, and rotate the engine until the pistons face up, not sideways. Did you check your ring end gap, and file to spec if necessary? Two part epoxy would be Mickey Mouse to fill the pits in the head. It will come loose and possibly damage the piston cylinder or rings. You need to use aluminum rod and TIG weld, then grind back down to shape. This is more like a Porsche 356, or 912 air cooled engine, except they were were flat fours. The 911’s are overhead cam engines, with a dry sump. How much horsepower can You get out of one f these engines, if you hot rod them? The bore looks big. How many millimeters are the cylinder bores? What is the stroke of the crank in millimeters? Mine is 93mm bore x 66mm crank throw, for 2.7 liters, and about 245 HP. You should have installed case savers and raceware head studs. Now you’ve got a problem. Your studs shouldn’t have been twisting as you tried to torque your heads. I would remove all the head studs,and machine the case for case savers, the. Install high quality head studs. This was painful to watch, but that’s how one learns.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

@@rodgraff1782 Thanks for the tips! These rings and cylinders are matched standard spec so you're not supposed to have to check ring gap. Yeah, not very happy about the epoxy thing. I think that'll come up in a future video. Not looking to hot rod this engine at all- bone stock, maybe some cooling upgrades someday. I'll be replacing the broken stud, obviously, but Corvair people usually say if the studs don't break, don't pull them out and risk case damage. It's a tough decision. Compression test should tell me if it worked. Worst "case" scenario is I pull the engine again and repair something. Part of the reason I bought this car is most parts are a lot more plentiful/available than many comparable cars.

[@williamgamble7887]

Where are you located.

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

MN. Thankfully most parts are readily available

[@TestECull]

6:48 that clutch was damn near brand new. Ah well it's a bitch to get to it might as well slam a new one in anyway.

[@David-if2jz]

dude you have gone this far with it, you may as well go the rest of the way and completely disassemble the thing and give it a really good cleaning and swap the main bearings and rings?

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Splitting the case would have cost a lot more money and time. I showed putting rings in it.

[@gerryleb8575]

Vanna White.

[@CAHelmer]

Oh man. Sorry. So close.

[@user-tl9cr9vm3x]

Should be How not to assemble a motor"

[@SealedBeamRallyTeam]

Tell me about it! Learning a lot!

[@jd70HJ19]

Too late now to suggest it ...but suspending the piston by the wristpin with a wire handing from the upper jugs studs would have made placing the rings much easier.