Rafee Corvair in the Heartland of the USA; tel:918-753-2486, 7days/week; e-mail here .

                                                                            Rafee Corvair is proud to offer wheel kits for early and late model Corvairs. see below for details. call us 7 days a week to place an order at 918-753-2486, these kits are special order items, and not available through the shopping cart.

          FAQ: 65-9 : can I go back to my stock 13" wheels if I want to ? 

When I got my first 65 4-door, power-glide with telescopic steering wheel, I wanted to keep the Classic look, but with a sporty twist to it. I was interested in installing bigger wheels & disk brakes with a set-up that would allow me to revert to the original one if I wanted. There were no kits available at the time for the late model that would let you do that. I did my own research, and found a set-up that allows you to switch from 13" all the way to 18", and back. The main reason I wanted to install disk brakes was to  improve the poor stopping performance of the car with the drums. Drum brakes lose their grip,especially in the rain, and I wasn't too satisfied with that. As you may know, there are 2 disc brake kits available for late models: 1 with a small rotor, will allow to switch back and forth, 13" to 18" wheels. The second disk brake kit has a bigger rotor and will only allow 14 " to 18" wheels. For more details about disk brakes and wheels, don't hesitate to give me a holler  at 918-753-2486, or to e-mail, click here .

LATE MODEL WHEEL KITS: RLW01 and RLW02 .call to order, and allow up to 3 weeks for delivery.

RLW01:available in 16 X 8, 8-spoke wheel, includes chrome center caps & chrome lug nuts. call for pricing.

RLW02: available in 16 X 8, 5-spoke wheel, includes chrome center caps & chrome lug nuts, call for pricing.

FROM OKC, 1965 CORSA CONVERTIBLE: after several months of hard work, this project took shape, with many  upgrades , including front disk brakes and  16" wheels. For those who wonder, it's not as simple as it sounds, it might require lowering the car, or replacing the coil springs if they are too worn-out, recommend  to use some heavy-duty shocks in the front, might need to lower the rear  and install some good shocks .But I don't want to make it sound like it is rocket science, cuz it's not. In this car, I did not need to lower the rear, just the front, a little, about 2". 

With patience and determination, anybody can do it , and if you need some tech help, don't hesitate to give me a holler at 918-753-2486, I'll gladly help you out. SO ENJOY THE PIX, CORVAIR FREAKS, HOOK-UP YOUR RIDE, AND ZIP THE STREETS IN STYLE, PEACE OUT !

New wheel kit available for early models: 16" X 7, don't hesitate to give us a call for more details at 918-753-2486.

64 Ragtop with 16 X 7 with front disk brakes, recently upgraded for Georgia Willie.

                                                                                     HOW TO LOWER THE FRONT END or REAR OF YOUR RIDE :

As you can tell, I dig early models, there is nothing wrong with the late models, just a personal preference. I dig both designs, I believe Corvairs were ahead of their time but let's face it : STOCK  CORVAIRS  ARE REALLY  UNSAFE, PARTICULARLY EARLY MODELS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CHEAP TIRES 180-85-13". I don't know if you guys are aware of this, but you can replace them  with 195-70-13"  or 185-70-13".  Of course, it is not going to fix the problem 100% , but you WILL notice a difference! I would recommend to install some Heavy Duty KYB shocks in the rear and Light Duty in the front, available for sale under "suspension parts" in "ONLINE SHOPPING ", or heavy duty ones all the way around, that will make your ride tighter.  Also what will help is lowering the front end or the rear by cutting some of  the coils. I recommend to cut from 1 full turn , to 1/2 turn or even just 1/4 turn at a time depending how your car sits, so that way you don't cut too much, resulting in excessive lowering, there is no going back, you would need some new springs. Use a cutting disk for a clean cut, as you can see Rafee doing it. Some folks recommend using a torch (are we BBQing or what?), myself, I don't like it, too messy, you won't get a clean cut, and many folks don't know how to use one.  As far as the height goes, that is up to you, how low you want to go. Sometimes, by lowering the front end alone, it will make the car sit even, you won't need to touch the rear. This is THE CHEAPEST WAY TO GREATLY IMPROVE THE HANDLING OF YOUR EARLY or LATE MODEL. Usually, late models don't need as much work . In 1965-69, Chevrolet improved the design of the car. But for some reason, the front end still seems to be higher than than the back, resulting in poor handling. BE SAFE WHEN DOING THIS WORK, use jack stands in addition to the jack under the car, and goggles when cutting, don't stand in front of the spring when removing. Good luck with your project, don't hesitate to give me a call  at 918-753-2486, or to e-mail, click here .

Lowering the rear,

don't forget to set your emergency brake when setting the jack under the drum, that will keep it from slipping.

when removing coil springs from the front, it is always easier to disconnect the lower ball joints by removing the nut and the 2 bolts that hold the strut rod to the lower A-arm... don't forget to put a jack under the A-arm for safety, as you can see in the pic. You can do it, there's nothing to it!

Always start cutting from the lower section, and don't forget to set the end of the coil spring in the little stopper, as you can see in the pic; make sure that the spring sits flat inside the upper tower.

 

         FAQ: 60-64: CAN I GO BACK TO MY STOCK 13" WHEELS IF I WANT TO ? 

I first got interested in wheels with my first Vair, a 62 Coupe. Even new to Corvairs, I noticed the handling and stopping was real poor, I saw that many guys were installing wheels in their Vairs, and they were going through so much hassle, modifying axles, hubs, drums, using bigger studs ! Damn, there had to be a better way. Another thing I didn't like is that you could not go back to your original wheels if you wanted to. So, I started doing my own research, it has been a long process as this issue is a little complex. I noticed that there were many wheels out there that will fit the early model lug nut pattern, and with the right offset, it will be an easy switch from stock to aftermarket, and back to stock, if you desire.

Something that can complicate the picture though is the use of disk brakes, as you know, there are 2 kits for the early model: 1 with a small rotor that allows you to use your 13" wheels, and bigger wheels up to 17 ", no problem with that one, you can switch easily back and forth. The second disk brake kit with a bigger rotor will not allow you to go back to 13", only 14 to 17" .

EARLY MODEL WHEEL KITS, REW01 AND REW02:

Early model wheel kit REW01: set of 4 chrome wheels, 5-spoke, call 918-753-2486 for pricing and ordering , allow up to 3 weeks for delivery.

Early model Deluxe kit REW02: incudes 4 chrome wheels, a set of lug nuts for the wheels, center caps, 4 tires, mounted and balanced. Price: upon request; call 918-753-2486 to order, and allow up to 3 weeks for delivery. To e-mail, click here .                          

64 2-door coupe automatic, with 17" wheels and front disk brakes, color solar blue metallic

64 Ragtop, 17" X 7 1/2 front and rear,with front disk brakes, repainted in original color.

I highly recommend installing front disk brakes when going with bigger wheels, it will avoid problems and eliminates the use of front spacers that can be tricky. For more details about wheel installation, don't hesitate to give us a call at 918-753-2486.

            64 Coupe 4-speed with 17" X 7 wheels, front disk brakes; daily driver proudly owned by Big James in Cali.

61 Rampside with 14" wheels and front disk brakes,

                       Rafman's new farm truck!                     

Below is an illustration of the tip I was sharing with you earlier, namely that you can improve the handling of your early model by cutting , not reheating- some of the coil springs from the front & rear to your satisfaction, adding some Heavy Duty KYB shocks, front & rear-available under suspension parts click here-, and some decent tires 185-70-13". Man, what a sweet ride! Here you see this 63 Maroon Coupe already modified.

You can do all this yourself on a pretty tight budget for a big improvement in safety, now, THAT'S WORTH IT! Stick it 2 Ralph Nader !!!