There are several sets of compressor brackets that were used on the Corvair, depending on engine and year. This is to document in pictures those variations, as well as the brackets that are the same, with the exception of the ’61 system, which is a system all its own. The rest of this article refers only to ’62-up.
There is one bracket that was used on all setups. It’s what I call the “universal” bracket, and it is the one that goes from the mounting stud near the engine crank pulley to the base of the main compressor mounting bracket (see picture 1).
The most common set of brackets is for what is known as the low-mount compressor, used on single carb engines from the beginning in ’61 through ’66 (see picture 2 and 3).
The other general set of brackets is known as the high-mount, and were used on ’66 140 hp engines and all ’67 engines, as well as a variation for smog equipped engines. This set actually has four designs; the first (see picture 6) and second (see picture 7) designs (together in pictures 4 and 5) for ’66, and the ’67 standard set (see pictures 10 thru 12) and smogger combo set (see pictures 13 and 14 and illustration 1).
First design upper brace V V First design lower brace V Compressor mount
^ Universal bracket ^2nd Design Brace ^ Main Bracket ^ Compressor mount
Picture 4 – 1966 Bracket 1st and 2nd design parts
The lower brace also is different for the different sets. The first design ’66 system (see pictures 4 and 15, also illustrated in the a/c installation instructions) consists of a small bracket under the shroud and on the side of the head that supports a leg above the shroud. The leg supports the side of the main bracket, with the aid of the bracket below the shroud.
The second design is a simple angle-iron shaped piece, with a bend in the middle (see picture 16). This allows it to be bolted to the side of the main bracket and also to a bolt that is shared by the universal bracket.
The lower brace for the ’67 system (see pictures 17 and 18) is bigger and bolts not only to the side of the main bracket, but also to the two sets of holes in the universal bracket, the head stud and the main mounting bracket attachment area (see pictures 10 and 11). This brace also includes a bushing tube for use with the smogger system (see illustration 1). Both of these, along with the ’66 first design pair, fit in the same or close location and perform the same duty.
On the high-mount sets, the rear compressor bracket (see picture 19) is the same for all sets, but is turned one way for the ’66 system and turned the opposite way for the ’67 system. Also, the front compressor mounts for the ’66 system and the ’67 standard system (see picture 20) differ in the way the bushing tubes are positioned.
< NOTE SPACING DIFFERENCES >
Further, the main brackets have different spacings (see pictures 21 and 22) for the pivot tube. All this is used in order to space the compressor fore or aft, depending upon the pulley-to-compressor spacing. The ’67 compressors all have a second belt pulley groove, while the ’66 system used only one pulley (though they do have a secondary groove in them. Thus the primary pulley groove-to-compressor spacing differs from the one to the two- pulley compressors, and the different brackets make up for this variation. Note that if you get any component of these compressor and bracket sets crossed, there is a chance that the belt grooves may not align, and you will find that you’re periodically throwing belts. So be aware of these differences and assemble your compressor and bracket set accordingly.
