Why a Diesel?

[philip]

Philip,

Did you ever own a 350 diesel? I suspect if you had with your knowledge and mechanical ability, it would have exceeded its reputation.

???

I only "look" stoopid.

[philip]

And finally, the diesel can burn bio fuel as it sits now, and is very clean doing that. I'm not confident that E85 is an effective solution and I'm almost sure hydrogen isn't. I'm waiting to see what type of longevity we get from the E85 engines.

steve a

As much of Europe has done, nuclear power is going to have to triumph over Big Oil in the USA for municipal power generation. After that happens, large scale hydrogen production can happen. China has 25 new nuclear plants in the planning & building.

You might research the hydrogen refueling station program that Air Products has been engaged in for years.

Air Products (Hydrogen/Compressed Natural Gas) refueling
(Be sure to click on the TELL ME MORE link at the bottom)

Penn State program

[glenlloyd]

As much of Europe has done, nuclear power is going to have to triump over Big Oil in the USA for municipal power generation. After that happens, large scale hydrogen production can happen. China has 25 new nuclear plants in the planning & building.

probably true Philip

You might research the hydrogen refueling station program that Air Products has been engaged in for years.

I am aware of this project but the light at the end of the hydrogen tunnel is a lot further off then it is at the end of the bio fuel tunnel. And as Al has mentioned the infrastructure necessary to support the widespread implementation and use of bio fuel is already in place. I don't see hydrogen in widespread use until after I'm dead and gone. I do see our reliance on non-US petroleum as a critical problem right now, from both a financial and environmental standpoint.

I'm not saying that hydrogen isn't viable, but the ability to deploy a hydrogen solution that can handle the required capacity nationwide is pretty daunting.

I appreciate the links though, one I've been to, the other I haven't.

steve a

[asavage]

GM will never live down Corvair ... Vega ...

While the Corvair has its weak points -- and not withstanding Ralph Nader's techinal writing ability in the 1960's -- I will argue that the Corvair was quite a decent car in its day, and that it was marketing, and the public demand for muscle cars from the Big Three, that killed it off in the marketplace.

I will say that I have owned a lot of Corvairs. I used to have the Shelburne Falls address memorized (inside joke, for anyone who actually owns a Corvair today). Like a lot of vintage cars, every time the subject of Corvair comes up, someone has a story about theirs or their family's or their friends'.

Ultimately, it was the constant maintenance of dealing with a very old car that was being used daily that drove me from driving any of my Corvairs all the time. The newest Corvair you could buy today would be 38 yrs old! And most remaining examples are not from the latter three yrs of production. If my life situation changed and I could keep cars under cover, I'd definitely buy another one -- probably a Lakewood (1961-2), as they're rare and a Wagon.

Factory gasoline furnace heater in all US-sold 1960 Corvairs! (Optional '61-4). I used to have four of them, used them as complicated gasoline space heaters, great for thawing out pipes under the house

[philip]

SNIP- If my life situation changed and I could keep cars under cover, I'd definitely buy another one -- probably a Lakewood (1961-2), as they're rare and a Wagon.

Factory gasoline furnace heater in all US-sold 1960 Corvairs! (Optional '61-4). I used to have four of them, used them as complicated gasoline space heaters, great for thawing out pipes under the house

I have a friend out near Hemet who found a 1962 in decent running shape (low mileage too) and the interior is original. It had been parked under a BIG tree for many years with the windows up. Paid $1800. No gas heater though. BUT ... there is another gent in his neighborhood who has a '61 and it does have the gasoline heater under the hood on the right side (he says). The area is a junk magnet I guess.

(has this thread drifted much?)

[goglio704]

Philip,

Did you ever own a 350 diesel? I suspect if you had with your knowledge and mechanical ability, it would have exceeded its reputation.

???

I only "look" stoopid.

[83_maxima]

(has this thread drifted much?)

Yes. But you guys answered my question, so please, continue the debate. Corvairs, gas heaters (which I am actually quite interested in for the 914) and GM diesels, it's all great!

[asavage]

Hemet. Hmmm. To me, that's like Temecula, only with more crime and (as I recall) the big Scientology place. My extended-family nana lived there in her declining years, in one of the many trailer parks.

I paid $250 for my '62 Corvair Monza 900 coupe in a blue just darker than 1982 720 blue No brakes, but I put a kit in the master cylinder just to drive it home from "Corvair Corner" in Lynnwood, Wash. (this was a famous Corvair used car lot in the 70's: they had an Early with the front "grille" area modified with large teeth and huge tongue that lolled out. It was parked on the corner of the lot for years, and was a landmark).

I learned a lot in that car. Some of it automotive related.

The 900 was the uptrim model. The rear seatback folded forward for more cargo area. Used to haul band instruments back there.

Yes, I would definitely buy another Corvair. I owned and drove a '65 Corsa (140 HP four-carb model, not the 180 HP turbo) for a couple of years, it would get 26 MPG. Four-speed six-cylinder cars were not all that common in 1965. It would move out pretty well, and while it wouldn't bury the 140 MPH speedo (not on your life), it would get right up there higher than you really wanted to drive it. The Late Corvair ('65-9) had the same basic rear suspension geometry -- and I think some of the parts -- of the Corvette. It was a marvel to look at. The rear halfshafts are stressed members: they are the lower parallel arms for the suspension. Mine were "kitted" on the Corsa.

1987 was a bad year for me, I sold my Hodaka Combat Wombat 125 (bought new in 1976, worked all summer to buy it), my '71 Triumph Tiger 650 (bought from the original owner with 6k miles on it, took out my first loan to buy it; like the Bonneville, but with only one carb, so it was a snap to tune), my '69 Chev C10 (owned for seven years), and that Corsa. What made it worse was that two owners down the line really beat it to crap, and I had to see it that way. Really sad. I try to sell my vehicles a long ways away now, or to someone who I know will take care of it. If you sell to a stranger, you don't want to see it again, believe me.

[moose60]

The rear seatback folded forward for more cargo area. Used to haul band instruments back there.

Yeah... Instruments...

[asavage]

Yeah... Instruments...

The platform formed by the folded seatback was pretty high. You'd have to be an exhibitionist to get nekkid back there. I'd stick with the front buckets. Since the '62 I had was AT (PowerGlide), the shifter was part of the instrument panel (not column shift, not floor shift: dash shift). Corvairs have flat floors or at most a 1" rise for the tunnel that housed the various control cables (accel rod, clutch cable, shifter rod). Nice not to have to fight a tall tunnel.

[glenlloyd]

I remember an article I read years ago where someone stuffed an Olds 455 and Toronado drivetrain in the back of a Corvair. This resulted in a modest power increase over the original powerplant

I've always had a fondness for the Corvair. Every so often one comes up around here. There was a nice blue late model on craigslist a while back in this area, very nice condition. Can't say that I've owned one....yet.

steve a