Bent Wrench wrote:
Are you going to be able to get enough weight in the front of the locost to balance it?
That Corvair motor, trans, suspension, lump will probably weigh considerably more than the rest of the car.
With a front motored car the lump gets spread out between the axles.
With a sideways motor a good percentage of the lump is in front of the axle.
Fuel, battery, and radiator close to the front axle provides balance.
Food for thought, fuel for discussion?
Sorry to be so late. I missed your post.
The Corvair lump as you call it weighs about 300 lbs (according to GM). By all standards it is a light engine. The heavy part of the power plant is the transaxle differential, by definition situated where the rear axles are, just as in other rear power plants commonly referred to as middies. In the case of the Corvair the transmission is situated in front of the differential further contributing to moving the weight forward. My goal is to achieve a weight distribution comparable to Porsches.
On my build approximately 300 lbs hang behind the rear wheels. The 100 lbs differential is neutral. The 50 lbs transmission is in front of the diff. Altogether by design, the effective weight behind the rear wheels should be 250 lbs. Situated in the nose cone I placed a 45 lbs battery. Under the front hood I have a 45 lbs spare wheel and tanks will add about 45 lbs full.
The car weight will be between 1700 and 1800 lbs. I am building a touring car, not a racing car.
In designing my chassis I have moved the seats, steering wheel and and scuttle forward by about 12 inches. This I believe will contribute to a better weight distribution.
Thanks for you point.