Breaking down far from home is bad enough. Breaking down in the Nevada desert, in an old air-cooled car, is a whole different level. That is what happened to a Corvair builder from northern Idaho, and the fix came down to a worn Corvair cam gear.
The owner was driving down for a Corvair gathering in Palm Springs when his car began losing power. His friend, a southern Utah recovery shop owner who posts as @MattsOffRoadRecovery, ended up hosting the repair.
Stranded In Tonopah
According to the shop owner, the car kept losing power and getting harder to start until it quit.
“he was halfway across Nevada and he broke down in Tonopah.”
So he sent a friend with a truck to haul the Corvair back to his shop. Meanwhile, the owner carried on to the event with a ride. He says that to limp the car into town, he had advanced the ignition timing by about 40 degrees. He admits that is a major no-no, but it was all he could do.
What The Teardown Found
When the owner arrived at the shop, the oil pan was already off. Right away, they spotted bits of aluminum inside. The owner says the engine had about 12,000 miles on it since he built it in 2009.
Then they pulled the engine and found the cause.
“the cam gear is walking off the cam.”
Inside, the keyway on the cam gear was badly worn, which let the cam slip out of time. The shop owner guesses it was retarded by maybe 50 crank degrees. As the gear moved forward, it also chewed into the bell housing. Because the damage fed on itself, they think it got worse quickly at the end.
The owner says he once chose old new-stock parts because that was the best option back then. Today, the shop owner says, good billet cam gears are easy to buy, and he will not run an old aluminum one. In his view, aluminum loses its hardness with age, not with heat.
While they had it apart, they found more. The valve springs were stiffer than Corvair spec, and they suspect small-block Chevy springs. One spring had shattered, and several guide plates looked bent.
Fixing The Corvair Cam Gear Overnight
Next, they split the case and cleaned the block late into the night. After that, they pressed the cam gear into place and assembled the bottom end. Since the old heads needed a lot of work, the shop owner pulled a fresh pair off his own shelf.
The next day, they put the engine back in the car and filled it with oil. Once the lifters pumped up, it quieted down and ran smooth. On the test drive, they say it had more get-up-and-go than it had shown in at least 10 years.
What We Would Take From This Breakdown
Old engines tend to warn you before they quit. Here is what we would keep in mind:
- Pay attention when power fades a little more each mile, because it rarely fixes itself.
- Shiny flakes in old oil mean it is time to stop and look inside.
- Use quality replacement gears rather than parts that have sat on a shelf for decades.
- Make sure springs and other parts match the engine’s own spec.
- Know who you can call before a long road trip in an old car.
Where Things Stand
With the new heads on, the Corvair was ready for the long drive north. The next morning, the shop owner got a text that the car was already in Idaho.
“Car made the return trip to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, flawlessly.”
By his count, that trip was around 1,100 miles, and he says it ran better than it ever has.
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