Volkswagen unleashed destruction in the U.S. market after the Second World War with the Beetle. If that wasn't enough, the VW Kombi became America's symbol of counter-culture in the 60s. Chevrolet's rebuttal to the VW wave was the Chevy Corvair 95 truck. Unfortunately, it only ran between 1961 and 1964, making it a rare find today. Hoonigan, on a recent upload, featured an even rarer Corvair on their Tire Slayer Studios – an LS-powered Rampside truck.
Truck layouts are generally the same for GM products. But in the 60s, perhaps due to the VW revolution and confusion, GM experimented with several engine layouts, including rear for trucks. That truck was the 1961 Chevy Corvair 95.
The 95, symbolizing the wheelbase (95-inch), was based on the pioneering Corvair sedan. To take out their Bavarian competition, the truck was offered in two variants, the Loadside and the Rampside.
With a gross weight of 4,700 lbs (2,132 kgs), the Corvair truck was powered by a rear-mounted flat-six air-cooled engine. Paired to a 3-speed manual transmission, power was channeled to the rear wheels.
The Hoonigan featured ripper is a Corvette-powered 1962 Corvair 95 Rampside. The Corvair truck might seem unique for an American truck, but Dick's truck has a mid-mounted engine. Yes, the LS-stroker is planted on the truck's bed!
The mid-mounted engine is a 6.2 LS3 with Brian Tooley Stage Three cams by RPM Performance, custom heads, and a 2002 4L65e transmission and differential.
According to Dick, the setup was done twice. They first developed it with the impression they could use a Corvette torque converter and eliminate the torque tube, but that left three inches of space between the torque converter and the flex plate.
"You have to do LT style guts, then do a Camaro bell housing and a torque converter," Dick explained how they made the setup work.
Eventually, all cars that visit the Hoonigan Tire Slayer Studios do one thing – shred tires and rip donuts. You can catch some of that tire shredding action in the video below.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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