mistery car
May 25, 2009 2:21 PM Subscribe
More about the Mistery Car:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvair
posted by dunkadunc at 2:27 PM on May 25, 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvair
posted by dunkadunc at 2:27 PM on May 25, 2009
Response by poster: Thank you guys, you were so helpful!
posted by xmradio03 at 2:41 PM on May 25, 2009
posted by xmradio03 at 2:41 PM on May 25, 2009
Best answer: It is a 1966 Corvair Monza Coupe - 340 HP V-8
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 2:59 PM on May 25, 2009
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 2:59 PM on May 25, 2009
Best answer: It is a 1966 Corvair Monza Coupe - 340 HP V-8
putting a v8 in was an aftermarket modification...
WGP... how can you tell that the pictured car is a v8, just curious.
posted by HuronBob at 3:09 PM on May 25, 2009
putting a v8 in was an aftermarket modification...
WGP... how can you tell that the pictured car is a v8, just curious.
posted by HuronBob at 3:09 PM on May 25, 2009
Huron, I can't speak for WGP in this instance, but can perhaps shed some light on how a car enthusiast might ID a car.
Generally, if you know a manufacturer well, you can ID a particular model from exterior features. So, if he knows a particular model comes with a V8, then he can guess that is the engine. Same with the year, it can be told from features. Here is a non Chevy example.
I see a VW van, it has oval taillights 62-71
it has separate backup lights 67-71
It has a rounded front windshield, 68-79
it has trigger style doorhandles, 69-79
it has rounded hubcaps, 49-70
it has round reflectors 69-70
it has a hump on the dashboard 68-69
Put all that together and the van I saw was a 1969 model. For any car enthusiast this is pretty much how they ID a car, unless it is an obvious one model only car, where there are all kinds of unmistakably unique features.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 3:34 PM on May 25, 2009
Generally, if you know a manufacturer well, you can ID a particular model from exterior features. So, if he knows a particular model comes with a V8, then he can guess that is the engine. Same with the year, it can be told from features. Here is a non Chevy example.
I see a VW van, it has oval taillights 62-71
it has separate backup lights 67-71
It has a rounded front windshield, 68-79
it has trigger style doorhandles, 69-79
it has rounded hubcaps, 49-70
it has round reflectors 69-70
it has a hump on the dashboard 68-69
Put all that together and the van I saw was a 1969 model. For any car enthusiast this is pretty much how they ID a car, unless it is an obvious one model only car, where there are all kinds of unmistakably unique features.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 3:34 PM on May 25, 2009
Hmm, doing a quick google, you get the exact picture you linked labeled as a Corvair Monza V8.
http://www.evanscooling.com/html/66_V8Corvair.htm
The website is for a company specializing in cooling systems for race and modified cars, so it is quite likely the car pictured is highly modified and does indeed have a V8. As HuronBob said, there is no factory v8 Corvair. In fact, the Corvair was aircooled and a v8 would be watercooled, so you would have to hack in a place for a radiator making this a tricker job than most engine swaps.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 3:46 PM on May 25, 2009
http://www.evanscooling.com/html/66_V8Corvair.htm
The website is for a company specializing in cooling systems for race and modified cars, so it is quite likely the car pictured is highly modified and does indeed have a V8. As HuronBob said, there is no factory v8 Corvair. In fact, the Corvair was aircooled and a v8 would be watercooled, so you would have to hack in a place for a radiator making this a tricker job than most engine swaps.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 3:46 PM on May 25, 2009
Generally it meant taking out the back seats for the engine and using the trunk space for the radiator.
posted by dunkadunc at 3:47 PM on May 25, 2009
posted by dunkadunc at 3:47 PM on May 25, 2009
A former coworker of mine had one of these. I remember him taking me for a ride and me marveling at the 3-speed manual shifter on the steering column. "Three on the tree" is what he called it.
posted by zerokey at 3:49 PM on May 25, 2009
posted by zerokey at 3:49 PM on May 25, 2009
Best answer: Also, OP: Tineye is wonderful for identifying images if you need to ID a car on the quick in the future.
posted by dunkadunc at 4:02 PM on May 25, 2009
posted by dunkadunc at 4:02 PM on May 25, 2009
Ahhh.. the Corvair. One of the most unsafe cars ever mass manufactured. My dad has lots of stories about this corvair including the horn that literally fell off, the speedometer that stopped working, and the candle he had to use to defog the windows.
posted by parakeetdog at 7:45 PM on May 25, 2009
posted by parakeetdog at 7:45 PM on May 25, 2009
Actually, The VW van and Beetle were both more dangerous than the Corvair. Nader wrote a book about how unsafe VWs were a few years after his Corvair adventures.
posted by rfs at 8:54 PM on May 25, 2009
posted by rfs at 8:54 PM on May 25, 2009
But I probably owe my existance to a Corvair, as years before I was born, my dad was driving a four-door Corvair when he was rear-ended by a drunk driver. He got out of the car to see if the guy who hit him was OK. When he went back to his (totalled) Corvair, he realized that the impact had forced the engine under the rear seats, the rear seats under the front seats, and when he'd gotten out of the car, he'd exited through the back door without realizing it.
Sure, in aggregate, they were "Unsafe at any speed." But in the right kind of wreck, it could save your life.
posted by u2604ab at 9:13 PM on May 25, 2009
Sure, in aggregate, they were "Unsafe at any speed." But in the right kind of wreck, it could save your life.
posted by u2604ab at 9:13 PM on May 25, 2009
Response by poster: @dunkaduc
Great web sight i could search many pictures, but I have noticed that the same pictures that were uploaded through TinEye, TinEye could not figure out those pictures. What is the catch, please?
posted by xmradio03 at 10:07 PM on May 25, 2009
Great web sight i could search many pictures, but I have noticed that the same pictures that were uploaded through TinEye, TinEye could not figure out those pictures. What is the catch, please?
posted by xmradio03 at 10:07 PM on May 25, 2009
I don't really understand. Why can't TinEye find some pictures that you upload?
Because there are no other versions of that picture in their database. There is no 'catch'.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:34 AM on May 26, 2009
Because there are no other versions of that picture in their database. There is no 'catch'.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:34 AM on May 26, 2009
Even being a VW van enthusiast, I will have to say the 1950-1967 model busses are probably the most dangerous cars there are. The Corvair is rear engined and has swingaxles, but is low to the ground, and you have some metal in front of you, and a trunk as a crumple zone. The bus is topheavy, swingaxle, and YOU are the front bumper. You sit between the front wheel, and the front of the car. My knees are literally 6 inches from the nose, 2 inches from the headlight bucket. The front frame is so weak, you are almost better off with no seatbelts, as if you are held in place your legs will be crushed in any offset front end collision between the front of the car, and the front wheel. Beetles you are a ways back from the front, and they are pretty strong. I'd say the Corvair and beetle are pretty equivalent.
68-79 vans they went to IRS and stretched the front end out, reinforced the frame. They are pretty safe actually, at least compared to other aircooled VW's.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 8:33 AM on May 26, 2009
68-79 vans they went to IRS and stretched the front end out, reinforced the frame. They are pretty safe actually, at least compared to other aircooled VW's.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 8:33 AM on May 26, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dunkadunc at 2:26 PM on May 25, 2009