ART SILVA CONVERSION - HABER/SILVA ENGINE
March 16, 2023
When Art Silva built his original Corvair V-8 Conversion, the engine used for the conversion was
an Oldsmobile 215 Aluminum V-8. That’s the same engine sitting in the car when the Hot Rod
Magazine article was published in January 1968. In the article, Art is shown holding a Buick 215
V-8 Block, the one with the Weber intake manifold. We’re not sure if this Weber engine ever
made it into Art’s car, but we do know that an Oldsmobile 215 V-8 built by Alex Haber would
eventually find its way into Art’s Metallic Green 1965 Corsa coupe where it is now.
Based on conversations with Alex Haber, the following details have been uncovered about the
engine’s features. The Oldsmobile engine was selected over a Buick engine because the Olds
215 V8 heads use 6 bolts and the Buick uses only 5 bolts. Listed below are the features Alex
Haber incorporated into the engine that he built for the Silva Shop Car.
Oldsmobile 215 aluminum V8 engine bored and stroked to 5.0 liters (302 ci) using steel sleeves and a Chevrolet crankshaft with 4-bolt main bearings
Volvo rocker arms with roller bearings
Phosphate-Bronze valve guides and sodium valves
Formula 1 oil pan
Custom steel headers
Holley 4-barrel carburetor (model not identified)
Engine Blue Printed by S&K Speed
Based on conversations with Alex Haber, Art Silva received drawings, parts and assistance with his engine transplant. Alex indicates that Art received a trunk load of parts from the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Alex also reports that Zora Arkus-Duntov, Corvettes Chief Engineer, took a personal interest in Art’s plans to replace the stock Corvair engine with the Olds 215 V8. Those parts received from GM included a full set of disc brakes, the same ones currently on the car. Arkus-Duntov is recognized for his work at Corvette with developing four- wheel disc brakes. Did he have a hand in this disc brake donation to Art’s project?
As previously mentioned Alex Haber and Art Silva were both good friends and business associates. Alex lost track of Art after Art moved his family from Staten Island, NY to NJ and then on to Bethlehem, PA. Eventually Alex was able to make contact in 2014 with Allison Silva, Art’s only daughter. Allison had Art’s car stored outside on her property and Alex could see that it was in a sad state of disrepair. He convinced Allison to allow him to trailer the conversion back to Stella, NC where he could properly store it and eventually restore it back to its original condition.
Although his intentions were honorable, Alex never was able to start the restoration. He stored the car out of the weather and covered it until he could begin the restoration. His first plan was to start the engine, but a number of parts were missing including the special distributor. Now at 83 years old, Alex realizes that his dream of restoring Art’s original Willow Green 1965 Corsa coupe back to showroom condition has faded as has the original paint. There has been some discussion about donating the Art’s No. 1 Shop Car to the Corvair Preservation Foundation for display in the National Corvair Museum near Springfield, IL. This discussion continues.
When Art Silva built his original Corvair V-8 Conversion, the engine used for the conversion was
an Oldsmobile 215 Aluminum V-8. That’s the same engine sitting in the car when the Hot Rod
Magazine article was published in January 1968. In the article, Art is shown holding a Buick 215
V-8 Block, the one with the Weber intake manifold. We’re not sure if this Weber engine ever
made it into Art’s car, but we do know that an Oldsmobile 215 V-8 built by Alex Haber would
eventually find its way into Art’s Metallic Green 1965 Corsa coupe where it is now.
Based on conversations with Alex Haber, the following details have been uncovered about the
engine’s features. The Oldsmobile engine was selected over a Buick engine because the Olds
215 V8 heads use 6 bolts and the Buick uses only 5 bolts. Listed below are the features Alex
Haber incorporated into the engine that he built for the Silva Shop Car.
Oldsmobile 215 aluminum V8 engine bored and stroked to 5.0 liters (302 ci) using steel sleeves and a Chevrolet crankshaft with 4-bolt main bearings
Volvo rocker arms with roller bearings
Phosphate-Bronze valve guides and sodium valves
Formula 1 oil pan
Custom steel headers
Holley 4-barrel carburetor (model not identified)
Engine Blue Printed by S&K Speed
Based on conversations with Alex Haber, Art Silva received drawings, parts and assistance with his engine transplant. Alex indicates that Art received a trunk load of parts from the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Alex also reports that Zora Arkus-Duntov, Corvettes Chief Engineer, took a personal interest in Art’s plans to replace the stock Corvair engine with the Olds 215 V8. Those parts received from GM included a full set of disc brakes, the same ones currently on the car. Arkus-Duntov is recognized for his work at Corvette with developing four- wheel disc brakes. Did he have a hand in this disc brake donation to Art’s project?
As previously mentioned Alex Haber and Art Silva were both good friends and business associates. Alex lost track of Art after Art moved his family from Staten Island, NY to NJ and then on to Bethlehem, PA. Eventually Alex was able to make contact in 2014 with Allison Silva, Art’s only daughter. Allison had Art’s car stored outside on her property and Alex could see that it was in a sad state of disrepair. He convinced Allison to allow him to trailer the conversion back to Stella, NC where he could properly store it and eventually restore it back to its original condition.
Although his intentions were honorable, Alex never was able to start the restoration. He stored the car out of the weather and covered it until he could begin the restoration. His first plan was to start the engine, but a number of parts were missing including the special distributor. Now at 83 years old, Alex realizes that his dream of restoring Art’s original Willow Green 1965 Corsa coupe back to showroom condition has faded as has the original paint. There has been some discussion about donating the Art’s No. 1 Shop Car to the Corvair Preservation Foundation for display in the National Corvair Museum near Springfield, IL. This discussion continues.
Photos of the car in it's current condition
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Alex Haber supplied the V-8 Registry with pictures of Art Silva’s conversion in its current condition. The poor condition of the Art’s conversion caused the V-8 Registry officers to consider not showing the pictures, but history is what it is and we have decided to post the pictures shown below. We are excited that the car still exists and are grateful to Alex Haber for having the foresight to rescue it from further deterioration or removal to a scrap yard. Although the condition is extremely poor, Art Silva’s original V-8 Conversion is a true survivor and will
hopefully be preserved as shown. Our intentions were to provide a more complete history of the man behind this Corvair, but that didn’t happen. As information was starting to be gathered by phone from Allison Silva about her father, she unexpectedly died at the age of 52 in February 2023. We reached out to Art’s two sons for additional family details. One son was contacted by another family friend, but he declined our invitation and the other son can’t be located; so the Silva story ends just as we were getting started.
hopefully be preserved as shown. Our intentions were to provide a more complete history of the man behind this Corvair, but that didn’t happen. As information was starting to be gathered by phone from Allison Silva about her father, she unexpectedly died at the age of 52 in February 2023. We reached out to Art’s two sons for additional family details. One son was contacted by another family friend, but he declined our invitation and the other son can’t be located; so the Silva story ends just as we were getting started.
