OT Has anyone had a blow-out at 65 MPH

Was this the early Corvair or later one? Corvair is what made Raph Nader (ugh) famous, from his book Unsafe at Any Speed, because either the front or rear or both axles were held on differently (to minimize the number of parts iirc) and so when something broke, the whole wheel suspension colllapsed. Actually I thought it was the front, but i'm not sure.

They have fixed this and gone back to a standard design, but his book put Corvair out of business anyhow.

Reply to
micky
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Yes, I tried to teach a girlfriend to drive one weekend, and I realized we should have done that first. At one point as we approached a 90^ turn, right in the two lane road, I was telling her, then yelling at her to slow down. Fortunately, in preparation, I had built in a speed limiter and dual-brakes to my car, so I was able to stop the car. She said she didn't realize there was more than one speed to the car. She thought there was just full go and stop. Drivign a go-cart would have taught her about that and other things.

**It's not so stupid that she thought there was just full-go. She probably did have the accelerator floored, but like I say, I had a piece of wood on the intake manifold that kept the throttle from going over 30 mph. I also had an L-shaped piece of metal conduit that hooked under the kick panel to her left, went over the brake pedal arm, and to my side of the car, so I could step on that and stop the car, or at least slow it down if she was still on the accelerator.

I guess in those days I could have leaned over and turned off the engine, but I couldn't believe she wasn't going to slow down, and there was nothing but grass had we skid off the road. Trees were still quite a while away.

Actually skid? Can one do that in a go-cart?

She never got that far. In fact this was our last lesson because she refused to go to the trouble to get a learner's permit, and I saw the risk I was taking was even greater than I imagined (I'd never come close to hitting anything or going out of my lane when I was taught to drive.) She said she lived in NYC and didn't have to learn how to drive. which has a lot of truth to it, but she wouldn't get invited on a long trip if she couldn't help drive.

Reply to
micky

I didnt' know anyone really did that. Scarey!

Reply to
micky

One of the problems with this "survey" that I started is that no one is here to tell us the story who died during the blow-out etc.

Reply to
micky

I had a '62 Corvair Monza. A few minor modifications like a quick shifter and oversized tires made it a fun car to drive and good handling too.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I've had a few blow outs in the distant past. Only one was "scary." Not sure how fast. Maybe 60-65. Rear wheel in a RWD car. It was a bitch to control it after the blowout. Compared to other blow outs anyway. Also had a ball joint fail at 35mph on a city street. That pulled the car to the curb at an empty bus stop, as I jammed the brakes. No steering control at all that I noticed. Pure luck it happened where it did. After that I always get my suspension checked by a front end pro every couple years.

Reply to
Vic Smith

Nope. Nader tried real hard to kill the corvair in about '63. In 1965 the rear suspension was changed from a swing arm to a 4 joint independent suspension - like the one on a corvette, but simplified. Chevy kept producing the corvair until 1969. The "problem" with the corvair is it had the same suspension as the VW beetle and Porsche of the same era. - if you cornered too hard it could "hike up" on the end of the axle. My aunt parked her '62 on 2 or 3 different fire hydrants in the years she had and DROVE that thing.

Nothing had a habit of breaking - and the suspensions never collapsed

Reply to
clare

Being slow to learn, I had a 61, 63, 64, and 65. One after the other as the previous ones died.

Only the 60 had any handling issues and Nader blew the problem way out of proportion.

By 65 the Corvair had 4 wheel independent suspension at least as good as the Corvette. I loved driving those cars but couldn't keep oil fumes from the heat system out of the passenger compartment.

Reply to
Dan Espen

I remember putting special spreading clips on the valve cover bolts to help spread the force more evenly. It helped. In the summer, I'd put foil over the heat vents near the floorboards.

Had a couple of motormounts break and the engine dropped down.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Not sure what year it was... like I said it wasn't my car, and that was both the first and last I saw it... but I think it was one of the later versions.

It was the rear axle itself that broke just outboard of the bearing... might have had past accident damage for all I know.

The drum made a mess out of the shoes and backing plate as it passed up and through them. It was dark, and all we had for light was a Bic lighter, so really didn't get a good look.

I think it was the early Corvairs that had a rear wheel 'swing axle' issues...

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Erik

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Erik

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

A good idea.

You remind me that on a rear wheel drive car, the part on the right that holds the steeering in place, that's opposite the steering box, I forget the name. Idler something? It's about a foot long, bolts to the frame and then to the suspension.

Mine ripped out of the frame. I was only going 5 or 10 on a very quiet street in NYC, and the car stopped moving. Got out and the left tire pointed left while the right tire pointed right.

It was a quarter to 6. Stores on Canal St. 3 blocks away closed at 6. Ran down there and found a store selling bolts, nuts, and washers, before 6PM. Went back to the car and bolted the thing back to the fame and I was okay until the end of the car's life for other reasons.

I probably had to jack the car up to move the right wheel into place. But mostly did the repair in the middle of the one-way street with one lane for people to go around me. Took an hour start to finish and no cop came by.

I don't know why the heads of the bolts came through the frame. I've never heard of that elsewhere.

Reply to
micky

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