Engines, Differentials, and Transmissions! Oh My!

Yesterday after work I picked up (and that was no mean feat) an engine hoist from a buddy's driveway. The irony behind the retrieval was that I was borrowing it so I wouldn't hurt my back moving the drivetrains I'd recently got as part of Phil's collection. Since the hoist probably weighs as much as a Corvair engine, I'm not sure I wasn't reducing my risk of injury. Regardless, Larry and I muscled the beast into the back of my Suburban, and once home, I disassembled the heavy legs and arm so I could make it manageable and then slid it out of the back of the truck on a doubled-up walkboard. After reattaching the legs, I rolled it into the garage and proceeded to empty my utility trailer. The Powerglide went under the shelves, the complete drivetrain went onto the floor, and the engine went onto the engine cart. The trailer, still holding a half-dozen wheels, went to its parking spot next to the yard's back fence. Note that in the following photos, the details circled in red on the left image show the unique oil filler tube features found only on the engine in Corvair wagons, vans, and trucks.

Next up was breaking down the CorsaVert’s drivetrain [140HP engine/unknown differential (hoping it’s a posi)/4-speed tranny) and tearing down the engine. The tranny and diff came off easily and without too much fluid spilled onto my pristine (NOT!) garage floor, but the engine tear down work was filled with frustration. Many of the screws were seized, so bending and breaking were the order of the evening. After a couple hours, I’d removed almost all of the shrouding. Sadly, three of the bolts holding the top cover on broke leaving me the task of the removing them from threaded holes in the heads. Before I go any farther, I’m going to liberally apply the homemade penetrating fluid (ATF and Acetone) and let it set for a day or so.

Meanwhile, the next time I’m out in the garage I’ll turn my attention to the engine currently residing on the cart. The Z code stamped onto the case, means it’s a ’64 95 HP engine that was originally mated to a Powerglide. This was the engine that came out of the Cut-up 4-door and powered Heidi for a while. I remember it seemed to burn a little oil, so I’m not going to bother checking compression before disassembling.