Dave Stroud's Corvair Engine


Dave Stroud's Engine with Rinker Redrive


The first picture shows the starter mount which sits on top of the thicker plate which replaces the oil cooler adapter and serves as an alt mount. The top of this heavier plate serves as a base for the oil pressure sender too.

The next photo shows a side view of the rear of the engine. Just to the left of the Kubota alt, is the fitting which allows the oil from the pump to exit the engine. It goes to a remote oil filter adapter where it goes out thru the cooler, returns to the filter with a tee off that line for the Rinker drive, thru the filter and back into the engine. The oil temp sender is in the top of the remote oil filter adapter. The starter and flex plate is off an '85 Chrysler LeBaron. Not much effort was put into minimizing the height of the starter as it just wasn't necessary. The finished engine will weigh just under 270 lbs including all exhaust, etc., less the mount itself. The Soob it replaced weighed the same surprisingly, including all coolant, rads etc. The redrive weighs 24 lbs. I'm expecting a torque improvement of some 20 % or so over the Soob and m thinking this rig should put out about the same power as maybe an 0235.




I have put together a very simple dual electronic ignition for the Corvair project. In a nutshell, what is required are two identical Mitsubishi ignition modules from a 1987-'93 Dodge Colt, or Hyundai Pony or the equivalent. It is very important that the matching coils be taken too. No substitutions.


One module is shown along with the 4 cylinder Mitsubishi reluctor. Beside it is the six cylinder Ford reluctor that has been machined down to the same o.d. as the Mits.


This photo shows the flat aluminum plate that replaces the stock steel Corvair part. You can see that the Corvair dizzy cam has been turned down to accept the inside diameter of the Ford reluctor which is a light press fit onto the shaft and fixed in place with a small set screw. It doesn't matter where the ignition modules are mounted on the circle. Care must be taken when positioning the reluctor, however and one must consider the mechanical advance while doing so. The cap makes this easy when you study it a bit. All advance mechanisms under the plate are treated as if you were running points ignition.


This photo shows the complete unit ready to run. Just add the rotor, the cap, wire per the diagram and you are ready to run. I have run a very similar unit for 260 hours on a previous engine. Not one burp. My coils are joined by that MSD part no. 8210 and both ignitions are run full time, simultaneously. Some call that MSD part a coil switcher but we've always called them coil joiners simply because they join the coil outputs into one spark. Each ignition system is tested on runup and both are left on for the full flight. Both are then tested again on shutdown. This is a very simple and reliable setup. Credit should be given to Erik Meisterman for the nice, machined aluminum plate and finding the correct reluctor.

Thanks to Mark Langford for showing my stuff here.