So I bought this little guy last night for dirt cheap. It is the optimistically named Envoy Epic which is a Canadian only variant on the Vauxhall Viva HA sold at Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealers. The car is very solid - pretty much rust free with some dents and dings. It runs and drives but needs a little carb work - an accelerator pump diaphragm for the Solex. Interior is pretty awful however.
It has 46k miles on the odometer which could very well be original. The engine is a 1057cc inline four allegedly making 50hp (I've heard it quoted as more believable 44hp in other places). Four speed manual of course. Those rims are 12" in size and all the hubcaps are accounted for. The chrome strip down the side makes it a Deluxe! 
Not sure what my plans are for it yet. Pictures taken at seller's place and I'm going to store it for a month or so to get my Mercedes finished up then bring home. I'll get it roadworthy as is first and see were to go from there. The engine compartment is on the small side and it has the tiniest, most fragile looking rear axle I've ever seen outside of a golf cart or something. Front suspension has a transverse leaf just like a Corvette!
Wee little car, 2 door body, no rust... manual trans of some sort...
Time to start welding up a tube chassis!
And finding a super bike engine.
Epic win. No stupid bike engine, no tube chassis. Head over to Retro Rides and see dozens of similar cars restored/moded/restomoded/engine swapped etc etc. I'd aim for a larger better engine, but nothing too modern and still in the family so to speak.
wspohn
Reader
4/4/13 10:56 a.m.
Used to see lots of them up here - in the parts business we called them 'Epidemics'. Not a bad car if sound. There are far better - ever see a Riley 1.5......
Epic Win. My wife wants a little boxy car so bad, but all she ever sees are rusty Fiats. She would love that!
It's a cool little thing.
Weight is 1500lbs or so. Wheel bolt pattern is the same as the Mini. The front suspension comes off as a self contained unit. Rack and pinion steering. This thing would actually be a cool retro Locost donor - you might have to downsize the frame a bit though.
So maybe I modernize the drivetrain in this and then move the old stuff over to a retro Seven-ish. Maybe ... I tend to get distracted before getting too far in. The hardest bit would be finding a narrow enough axle for the Epic.
Bonus points for tail fins.
I have 12" Minilite wheels with a Mini bolt pattern and currently fitted with (old) Yoko A038R tires. Let me know if you're interested.
I learned to drive stick in one of those. It was my mother's and I beat the crap out of the poor little thing. Gas was 39 cent a gallon at the time and I was hard pressed to get it to take $2.50. The tank is about the size of a big briefcase and sits in the right rear fender IIRC. I'd be looking for a more modern 1200-1500 aluminum engine and better brakes ,then drive her.A really basic, but fun little car.
I knonw the swap has been done to death, but what about a BP Miata engine with Ford valve covers?
Adrian_Thompson wrote:
I knonw the swap has been done to death, but what about a BP Miata engine with Ford valve covers?
Why ford? That thing is GM.
Nashco
UberDork
4/4/13 12:58 p.m.
Neat car. Sounds an awful lot like my Opel Kadett...not-so distant cousins, of course! 
Looks pretty rough around the edges for a 46k mile car...I'd bet that odo wrapped once. With a name like Epic, that car is begging for an EPIC road trip adventure.
Bryce
Nashco
UberDork
4/4/13 1:34 p.m.
Oh yeah, and are you sure about the "Mini" bolt pattern on the Epic? The Opel/Vauxhall is 4x100 (and I assume the Epic would be the same), while the Mini is 4x4 (4x101.6). Minor difference, but not insignificant.
Bryce
ditchdigger wrote:
Adrian_Thompson wrote:
I knonw the swap has been done to death, but what about a BP Miata engine with Ford valve covers?
Why ford? That thing is GM.
Just because I think it looks cooler than the Miata part, lose the Ford emblem if you want. No real brand preference for this.
If you've got a B6 not a BP go for the GTX or Mercury valve cover with no logo on it.
It's just the B series mazda engines are sooooooo simple and swap into anything with a ball of wire and a roll of duct tape.
Next time I get a call from a confused swapper, I'll give him your number. The BP electrical system is the most complex ever devised. Or that what the phone calls I take seem to imply.
If you grind the "Mazda" off the 1994-97 valve cover, it's a nice vintage looking piece. Less 80's than the Ford version.
Looks like a baby 63 mercury comet.
needs and LS swapped in, then a run at Chumpcar/LeMons glory..
Definitely a Mini bolt pattern - some folks have run 4x100 wheels and it pinches the studs a bit and they are unable to get their brake drums off. Given it is four wheel drums that is an important concern.
Not sure a LSx would even physically fit - the engine bay is quite small. A Miata engine would be fantastic except any sort of Miata is rare and expensive here. I'd be more comfortable doing a swap with access to a full donor car rather than bits and pieces here and there but that is mostly done to my experience level.
This one had a Nissan Ka24e swapped in so the engine bay must be more roomy than it looks. http://www.casc.on.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=22929
Interestingly it is positive ground - I'll definitely have to keep that in mind!
The rear axle has a pinion extension like a Chevette
Nashco
UberDork
4/4/13 4:16 p.m.
ArthurDent wrote:
Definitely a Mini bolt pattern - some folks have run 4x100 wheels and it pinches the studs a bit and they are unable to get their brake drums off. Given it is four wheel drums that is an important concern.
Far out. Imagine how many confused owners have tried interchanging parts from the Vauxhall and Opel (brakes, wheels, hubs, etc.) to find that they're REALLY close to the same, but not the same! Very interesting trivia.
Bryce
