tebok

I know it's been discussed a number of times, but hell, it's Friday. So tell me,

What would you choose for a new motor to put in a midyear Vette?

Your budget is in the ball park of $7000.

Maintaining the ability to return to bone stock is a must. Fitting under the stock (non big block) hood is also a must. You'll be using the Vette for cruising around town and trips up twisty mountain passes.

Let me know what you think!



In case you're curious, here is a little background on why I ask. I have a beautiful '64 coupe that I can't fully enjoy. (Edit) Overheating is a major issue. (Edit) (Please don't turn this into an overheating thread, I'm ready to move on.) I'm not interested in sleeving and honestly would like to add some serious power. Rest assured my purist friends, the stock motor will be preserved and placed on display in the garage next to my Vette so I can return it to it's original, numbers matching, state at any time. The motor I'm leaning towards is a Skip White SBC 406. Thanks for stopping by. Sorry I can't hand you a beer through the web.

Nowhere Man

Over boreing does not cause over heating you have other problems not being addressed If you return the cooling system back to OEM spec, adjust your carb and timing correctly You should fix your cooling system. For 7k you can do a lot

tebok

Thank you for the reply, but as I mentioned, please don't turn this into an overheating thread.

So $7k is a good budget? Good. Any suggestions?

MikeM

I don't know Skip White but I'd go for a big inch, first generation, small block. 406/383.

There are plenty of midyears with a big inch SB in them and they seem to cool okay. Just be advised that the 406 can put out a lot more heat than the 327.

Don't be surprised if your bigger engine doesn't give you heating problems that you haven't corrected yet. I'll say no more.

Nowhere Man

You can fik your cooling issues for max 1500 bucks. That leaves you 5500 bucks to spend else where's. Your choice. And if you leave the existing cooling system in place with your new engine chances are your still have the same problem. Like I said fix one problem at a time

tebok

Again, thanks for the reply but I've tried everything from the overheating threads. If you are still concerned I can refer you to my other thread regarding this issue.

Nowhere Man

What have you done?

tebok

Here is the link of what I have done:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...tement-14.html

haccpguy

This would be a fun power plant for your car:
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/ZZ38...P9982C944.aspx

Or even the ZZ5 would work well.

65tripleblack

Sounds like you're looking forward to this, and I'm happy to see that you're having fun! I prefer to build my own, but if I couldn't, then your choice looks like a good one. I like the Dart block, however, I'd choose an aluminum block, which would put you way out of your budget. Have fun and choose the biggest cam choice, as the 406 has way more torque than you'll ever need, so the horsepower potential will be exhilarating at higher RPMs. I don't see the cam choices on the website, so can't help you there. I have a solid roller in mine and it will rev past 8000 RPM, whereas the hydraulic will go to about 6500.

I agree that you should check your radiator, and the rest of your cooling system. How old is it? It will only get worse with the bigger engine. Now is the time to fix it..............before you install your new engine. Easy way to check the rad is to place your palm on the fins while the engine is running at operating temp. Feel for cold spots in different areas with the palm of your hand.

tebok

I too like the idea of building my own. If one of my connections comes through I may get my hands on a Dart block at cost. Then I would buy the rotating assembly, heads, etc from Skip White. A good friend of mine has recently done just that for his '69 Camaro with great success and is willing to help me do the same.

Love the idea of reving to 8000. I used to have a Lotus Elise and the higher redline was a trip!

The radiator is a brand new DeWitts with an electric fan. Hard to do better than that.

tebok

For those interested, here is the link to Skip White's SBC 406

http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...Item=406_STG_3

OC-1

Ramjet 350

haccpguy

Very nice.

I see headers, new tranny, new rear end, new rear end suspension.....

Basically a whole new drivetrain in your future.

65tripleblack

Is it a "direct fit" or the original reproduction of the Harrison stacked plate? Also, if the fan isn't pulling air through the entire finned area of the radiator, then that's your problem. A lot of electric fans don't cover the entire rad!

Look into "Pro Filer" heads. When I bought mine they were slightly more than 1/2 the price of AFRs. Very high quality and flow same as AFRs. Compare apples to apples: whichever heads you choose, be sure to compare prices on as-cast, and CNC ported parts..........bare heads vs fully dressed with exact same parts.

I don't see why you need stud girdles on the pictured engine. I'd grill him on that.

The engine website is very "busy". Can you help me find the cam/carb/intake manifold and other choices that are available?

Are you going manual or auto trans? What is your axle ratio, and would you like to keep it? Do you plan on installing wide tires on it, or keeping 215-70R-15?

big block ken

My first Corvette was a '64 convertible back in the 70's, and it had a 70 LT-1 engine under the stock hood. It will still appear stock, fit, and have all of the power that you'll need.

Sky65

If you like back road stuff and throwing the car around a little I would stay with a high revving 350 or smaller, get a 5 spd trans and make sure you have a good match to your rear ratio, and rev the crap out it. 383 and 406 are great stump pullers and you can smoke the tires off in a heart beat but a high winding engine is more fun on back roads. A sports car rather than a drag car so to speak. JMHO

Tom

tebok

Good input. Thank you.

The rad is a "direct fit" and the fan covers the whole area. Very high quality.

Here is what I could find on the parts you were asking about:

Cam (guestimate):
http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...Item=180265-10
Heads (guestimate):
http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...Item=NKB200274
Carb:
http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...spx?Item=Q-950
Intake manifold:
http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...x?Item=PC-2025

I agree their web site isn't the best. I wonder if they leave select details out to protect their motor "design".

My plan at first is to keep the stock tranny and setup. I'm not sure what the axle ratio is. My thought is the skinny stock tires will act as the "fuse" when things get wild.

tebok

Well said. More to think about.

65tripleblack

Unimpressive flow numbers! I ported a set of double humps and got them to flow 255 @ .5" valve lift. CNC ported (205cc) Pro Filers will flow 280 @ .5" and 295 @ .7".

With a 406 cu-in engine, you should be looking at 250-260 0.050" durations for a "3/4" race build, and 270-280 for a "full race" build. In either case, you want at least .600" intake valve lift to take advantage of the displacement. Also, yout 4.125" bore will benefit tremendously with a 2.05 or 2.08" intake valve.

I agree that a screamer would be better for your intended use. Consider building a 377 cu-in engine. 4.125" bore and 3.5" stroke. Use a set of 210cc aluminum heads with the cam and flow specs that I indicated and you'll be happier than a pig in ####!!!