Would installing 32 bit packages on the existing 64-bit VM be an option to run Oracle 9.2? I inherited an old old 9i DB that now needs recovery.  It is unstable (disk corruption and performance problems).

I have a backup.

In the interest of time - I have 64-bit VMs all over the place, but 9i was only made for 32-bit according to Oracle support.

Would installing 32 bit packages on the existing 64-bit VM be an option to run Oracle 9.2?
It is possible, I had to do it myself once. 
BUT: It is not enough to just to install 64 bit packages on any new linux distribution. You need a supported version (that is supported by 9.2). 
just hacking the config file did not work out, due to many issues e.g. Kernel versions.

IIRC I ended using an Oracle Linux 4 install. 

If you need a more modern and supported OS you might want to give Solaris x86 a try. Usually old software runs with much less issues. Known good installation: Solaris 10 with 9.2