Art Silva Corvair V8 Conversions
More Art Silva History -
EARLY CORVAIR CONVERSIONS
August 18, 2022
Today I had the good fortune to receive a call from Fred Santillo. Fred’s of Italian heritage and
his family came to New York from an area north of Rome. I became aware of Fred when a
another Corvair enthusiast named Brian Sydow sent out an email indicating that he had some
Corvair parts associated with converting a Corvair to V-8 power. Naturally, I was interested; so I
contacted him. To my surprise Brian knew a lot about Corvairs and once owned a late model
Corvair with a rear-mounted 215 V-8 that was built by a Fred Santillo and Art Silva of Staten
Island, NY. What a pleasant surprise. Brian was able to supply a current phone number for Fred
Santillo; so I called. The call went to voicemail; so I concluded that it was an active number. A
week later I get a call and an apology from Fred for the late reply. What a gracious person to
talk to. Like me Fred is 78 and also born in the same month on September 4, 1943. Our Italian
heritage also helped to secure a bond.
Fred became acquainted with Art Silva because of their interest in Corvairs. Both were excited
with GM’s rear-engine air-cooled car, but they were looking for something more to propel this
popular and well handling little Chevy at a faster pace. Art and Fred had conversations with GM
engineers about installing a V-8 engine in the rear engine compartment. Fred indicated that
they talked with a number of people who seemed genuinely interested in helping them with
their installation. Art drew up a design for adapting a Buick/Olds aluminum 215 V-8 to the
Corvair transaxle and a friend of Art who had a foundry was able to cast a few adapters for
attaching the V-8. Fred indicated that he helped Art build six Corvair Conversions, but this 1966
Corsa was the only convertible. Art and Fred went different directions after this and Art went
on to offer a kit for installing a 215 V-8 in the rear of a Corvair. He reportedly sold 150 and
possibly as many as 300 kits. This information can’t be verified because neither Fred nor anyone
else that I’ve talked with has been able to provide a contact with the Silva family. Art Silva
passed away in 2012 from information available about him.
The Corvair Conversion that Fred and Art built has an interesting story to go with it. When
completed in 1969, the Aztec Bronze 66 Corsa convertible was then sold to a Brian Sydow. The
car sat covered up for 40 years before it was restored and repainted in Duansberg, NY to a
silver gray color with black racing stripes on the hood. From there the convertible was sold to
Karl Cozad in Kansas City, MO around 2011. Karl’s improvements to the Corvair Conversion are
detailed on the V-8 Registry website on Karl’s Personal Page. Karl passed away in 2017 two
years after he drove his conversion to the CORSA convention in Knoxville, TN. After his death
the car sat in storage for a while before Karl’s wife Janet decided to sell the car when other
family members decided against owning the car. At that point enter Terry Kalp onto the scene.
Terry, a long time Corvair enthusiast and the owner of several Corvair Conversion decided to
buy it. One day while inspecting the car Terry found a letter in the glove box addressed to ‘To
Whom It May Concern’. This letter was written by Fred Santillo after the conversion was
completed to explain the build of this Corvair to future owners and was placed in the glove box
not to be noticed until 48 years later when Terry was rummaging through the car. Terry called
Fred to talk about the car’s history. Then today while talking with Fred, he mentioned the
conversation with Terry. Fred is so pleased that his Corvair Conversion is still on the road and it
brought back fond memories of when he and Art completed the engine swap all those years
ago. Terry Kalp can now say that he’s the owner of perhaps the most original Silva Conversion
that was personally constructed by Art and his friend Fred. Not only that, it was the only
convertible built. What a buy.
John Lanning, President
The V-8 Registry
August 18, 2022
Today I had the good fortune to receive a call from Fred Santillo. Fred’s of Italian heritage and
his family came to New York from an area north of Rome. I became aware of Fred when a
another Corvair enthusiast named Brian Sydow sent out an email indicating that he had some
Corvair parts associated with converting a Corvair to V-8 power. Naturally, I was interested; so I
contacted him. To my surprise Brian knew a lot about Corvairs and once owned a late model
Corvair with a rear-mounted 215 V-8 that was built by a Fred Santillo and Art Silva of Staten
Island, NY. What a pleasant surprise. Brian was able to supply a current phone number for Fred
Santillo; so I called. The call went to voicemail; so I concluded that it was an active number. A
week later I get a call and an apology from Fred for the late reply. What a gracious person to
talk to. Like me Fred is 78 and also born in the same month on September 4, 1943. Our Italian
heritage also helped to secure a bond.
Fred became acquainted with Art Silva because of their interest in Corvairs. Both were excited
with GM’s rear-engine air-cooled car, but they were looking for something more to propel this
popular and well handling little Chevy at a faster pace. Art and Fred had conversations with GM
engineers about installing a V-8 engine in the rear engine compartment. Fred indicated that
they talked with a number of people who seemed genuinely interested in helping them with
their installation. Art drew up a design for adapting a Buick/Olds aluminum 215 V-8 to the
Corvair transaxle and a friend of Art who had a foundry was able to cast a few adapters for
attaching the V-8. Fred indicated that he helped Art build six Corvair Conversions, but this 1966
Corsa was the only convertible. Art and Fred went different directions after this and Art went
on to offer a kit for installing a 215 V-8 in the rear of a Corvair. He reportedly sold 150 and
possibly as many as 300 kits. This information can’t be verified because neither Fred nor anyone
else that I’ve talked with has been able to provide a contact with the Silva family. Art Silva
passed away in 2012 from information available about him.
The Corvair Conversion that Fred and Art built has an interesting story to go with it. When
completed in 1969, the Aztec Bronze 66 Corsa convertible was then sold to a Brian Sydow. The
car sat covered up for 40 years before it was restored and repainted in Duansberg, NY to a
silver gray color with black racing stripes on the hood. From there the convertible was sold to
Karl Cozad in Kansas City, MO around 2011. Karl’s improvements to the Corvair Conversion are
detailed on the V-8 Registry website on Karl’s Personal Page. Karl passed away in 2017 two
years after he drove his conversion to the CORSA convention in Knoxville, TN. After his death
the car sat in storage for a while before Karl’s wife Janet decided to sell the car when other
family members decided against owning the car. At that point enter Terry Kalp onto the scene.
Terry, a long time Corvair enthusiast and the owner of several Corvair Conversion decided to
buy it. One day while inspecting the car Terry found a letter in the glove box addressed to ‘To
Whom It May Concern’. This letter was written by Fred Santillo after the conversion was
completed to explain the build of this Corvair to future owners and was placed in the glove box
not to be noticed until 48 years later when Terry was rummaging through the car. Terry called
Fred to talk about the car’s history. Then today while talking with Fred, he mentioned the
conversation with Terry. Fred is so pleased that his Corvair Conversion is still on the road and it
brought back fond memories of when he and Art completed the engine swap all those years
ago. Terry Kalp can now say that he’s the owner of perhaps the most original Silva Conversion
that was personally constructed by Art and his friend Fred. Not only that, it was the only
convertible built. What a buy.
John Lanning, President
The V-8 Registry
The following is an article from the January, 1982 copy of the CORSA Communique. It details the installation of an Art Silva water cooled V8 engine kit into a fellow's Corvair.
Our thanks go out to Mike Hall, the President of CORSA for his granting permission for us to re-produce this article.
The following is an article from the July, 1982 copy of the CORSA Communique. In this article Art Silva comments on hi approach for installing a water cooled V8 engine into a Corvair.
Our thanks go out to Mike Hall, the President of CORSA for his granting permission for us to re-produce this article.
