Mike Meyers’ LS Corvairs – One Heck of a Pair of Chevys

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The LS family is filled with interesting rides, from factory-equipped sports cars to the ever-popular hot rod genre being inundated by LS upgrades. Needless to say, we’ve pretty much seen it all, but every once in awhile we run across a vehicle that expands the modern Chevy-powered family a bit further; something that defies the stereotypes and brings a whole new flavor to the LS community. Mike Meyers’ LS-powered Corvairs are exactly the type of cars we’re talking about.

IMG_1306GRA Quirky Love Affair

Ask anyone what their favorite Chevy of all time is and chances are you’ll get answers ranging from the iconic Camaro and Corvette to the muscle-bound Nova and Chevelle. Of course, there will probably also be some votes for the Bel Air, but chances are not many folks will answer with an enthusiastic “Corvair!” However, those people aren’t Mike Meyers of Wood River, Illinois.

During adolescence, at the ripe young age of just 14 to be exact, Meyers acquired his first car a 1965 Corvair coupe. Not your traditional first car, Meyers was instantly smitten with the idiosyncratic Corvair and went on to own and build a whole stable full of the once controversial Chevy. But why Covairs? Well, Meyers likes to be different!

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Not your typical race machines, Meyers’ Corvairs are fully capable of taking down the competition on the drag strip.

Currently, Meyers owns 10 Corvairs, including his incredibly unique ’69 and a modified ’62 Corvair wagon. Meyers’ Corvair passion also got passed down to his three children – Mathew, who owns a ProCharged 468ci big-block-Chevy-equipped ’66 four-door capable of blasting down the quarter mile in just 9.69 seconds; Marc, who owns a ’63 Corvan; and Marissa, who owns an original ’66 Corsa. Turns out even in the Corvair world, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

IMG_1303GRNot Your Grandma’s Corvairs

Corvairs in stock form are unique in their own right, but Meyers’ cars are not your typical factory Corvairs. His ’62 is one of just 2,352 Corvair Monza station wagons built for the 1962 model year, while his ’69 is a highly-modified G-body beneath the skin, complete with a ProCharger and custom suspension. Both cars sport LS engines, unique paint schemes and bespoke interiors.

The Corvair Wagon

While far from the air-cooled flat six powered car it was when it left the factory, Meyers’ Corvair wagon looks relatively tame, with only a custom air dam (necessary to feed cold air to the LS powerplant’s radiator) as far as body modifications go. But under the stock exterior is plenty to marvel at. Most notably is the 1998 Chevrolet LS1 fitted between the car’s front fenders.

While the ignition, intake manifold, fuel injection and cylinder heads remain stock (the cylinder heads are from a 2000 LS1), the Chevy powerplant is upgraded with a COMP Cams camshaft with a .610 intake lift and .601 exhaust lift, while featuring a 274 intake duration a 276 exhaust duration and a 111-degree LSA. The engine is also upgraded with Hedman Husler Hedders from Muscle Rods.

IMG_1301GRBacking the LS is a 4L60E transmission with a 3600 RPM stall Yank converter and a B&M driveline. This hooks into a GM 8 ½-inch 10-bolt rearend from an Oldsmobile 442, featuring 3.73 gears.

IMG_2639GRWith this combination and a good tune from Joe Donovan of Performance by Joe (P.B.J.), the Corvair wagon is good for 350 horsepower to the tires and a 12.4-second quarter mile.

Underneath the wagon you’ll find a typical GM G-body front and rear suspension updated with Monte Carlo SS sway bars. The only frame modification the car has is pinched frame rails, which allow the tires Meyers chose for the car to fit. The car also sports stock-style power steering, front disc brakes and rear drums.

Giving the Corvair its current stance are 14×6-inch and 15×8-inch Chevrolet Rally wheels wrapped in 185/65/14 and 235/60/15 rubber respectively.

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Rounding out the wagon’s custom design is the unique paint job performed by Terry Fairless, which features a Dupont Corvette White paint scheme with Blue Pearl over the top and a “Surf Blue Effect” from the 2009 SRT Challenger on the bottom.

Inside, the wagon is just as unique with Pontiac Grand Am front seats and Dodge Colt Vista rear seats expertly put together by Kevin’s Custom of East Alton, Illinois. The unique interior is accentuated with Auto Meter gauges and a Sony Xplod stereo system.

While the wagon is virtually complete, Meyers told us that the car isn’t running quite as well as he’d like it to due to a possible torque converter issue. But hopes of a low 12-second or high 11-second quarter mile are keeping Meyers busy searching for a solution.

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The ’69 Beast

While the ’62 Corvair wagon was originally bought as a project vehicle, Meyers’ 1969 Corvair coupe was acquired for a much different reason. In fact, there was never a plan to restore or build the ’69. Rather, the car was purchased for parts to restore another Corvair Meyers already owned. But after parting out another car (a Monte Carlo) and doing some measuring, Meyers and a friend figured out that the two cars could be fabricated into one unique combination, and the coupe was reborn.

IMG_1298GRJust like its wagon sibling, the ’69 Corvair’s only body modification is a custom front air inlet, but one look under the hood and it becomes instantly apparent that the car is much more than a lightly modified Chevy.

Stuffed between the front fenders is a 2002 iron block Chevy 6.0L LS engine equipped with stock 317 cylinder head castings, an LS6 intake manifold, Hedman Hustlers Hedders, a 3-inch Flowmaster exhaust and FAST fuel injection.

The engine is also equipped with a COMP Cam camshaft with an intake lift of .614, exhaust lift of .624, an intake duration of 227 degrees, exhaust duration of 24,3 and a 114-degree LSA.

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No drag racing Corvair is complete without an LS engine, especially one that’s been ProCharged!

Helping the engine get up to its full potential is a D-1SC ProCharger setup pushing nine pounds of boost. This helps the engine squeeze out an impressive 617 horsepower, not to the flywheel but to the Corvair’s rear wheels.

Transmitting that torque and power to those rear wheels is a 4L60E automatic transmission attached to a B&M driveshaft. Just like the wagon, Meyers’ Corvair coupe is tuned by Joe Donovan of P.B.J.

IMG_1293GRUnderneath the car you’ll find a stock G-body front suspension, while the rear is upgrade with a ladder bar and Strange Engineering double-adjustable coil overs.

This helps the car stick to the pavement with its massive 255/60/15 Mickey Thompson drag radials wrapped around 15×8-inch Billet Specialties rear wheels, which are tucked under the car thanks to pinched frame rails. In the front, the Corvair runs 15×4-inch wheels.

With this configuration, Meyers was able to throw down an impressive 10.93-second quarter mile average at the 2013 Drag Week, where he finished as the second-place qualifier in the Daily Driver class. More impressively, the Corvair got an average of 18.8 miles to the gallon while throwing down tens at Drag Week. The Corvair’s fastest quarter mile with this setup was a 10.72-second run.

“It is fun to see the looks and hear the comments people have about this car,” Meyers told us.

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Meyers’ coupe is a far cry from the factory Corvairs derided by Ralph Nader as ‘unsafe at any speed.’ On a side note, we were astonished to discover in the course of researching this article that Nader is still alive. Seeing this photo would probably do him in, though…

This winter, Meyers upgraded the Corvair even more, fitting the car with a 9-inch Strange rear spool and axle package, complete with 3.70 rearend gears. The new rearend also features new coil overs and disc brakes, which were added to give the car four-wheel disc stopping power. Meyers told us he hopes this new combination will help push the car to 10.5-second quarter mile times.

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Yes, even your classic Corvair deserves a position in the performance spotlight!

While the car has received a rearend upgrade since we saw it last, the exterior of the car remains the same, featuring a PPG Corvette White paint scheme with an OEM Fleet Orange color used for the stripes. The paint job was performed by Chris Milford.

Inside the car, you’ll find the front seats out of a 2-door Grand Am and stock Corvair rear seats. Just like its wagon companion, Meyers’ coupe also features Auto Meter gauges and a Sony Xplod stereo system.

A Daily Passion

While Meyers’ Corvairs are certainly forces to be reckoned with on the track as well as in the show circuit, where both cars have won awards locally and nationally, the cars remain fully streetable.

IMG_1299GR“This car is fun to drive on the street as well as to race at the track,” Meyers told us of the wagon. He also noted that the coupe “drives like new, runs hard, gets good gas mileage and is fun to drive,” which Meyers does regularly to the track where he races before driving, rather than trailering, the car home.

So who sponsors all this fun? Well, Meyers funds it himself with what he calls “spare change.” Of course, none of it would be possible without the support of his wife Marsha and his children.

Much appreciation goes out to Meyers for sharing his amazing LS-powered rides with us. We can’t wait to see what 2014 brings for the Meyers Corvairs!

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About the author

Lindsey Fisher

Lindsey is a freelance writer and lover of anything with a rumble. Hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles - she's owned and driven it all. When she's not busy writing about them, she's out in her garage wrenching away. Who doesn't love a tech-savy gal that knows her way around a garage?
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