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Mark,
Yes, that about sums it up. They're at Disney this week, so it isn't very far. The man deserves a steak, a beer, and to take my car for a spin since he's been stuck listening to "It's a Small World" non-stop for a week!
Benton and Matt, so you guys met on the forum and now Benton and family are going down to FL for a visit.
yes, Mark, Matt and I have been in touch off-forum for a year or so- and the work he put into his old 350 and then his crate engine search have been great to follow. I hope to either go a similar route or build an engine for my '64 to beat on and let my 104k plus mile L75 sit on a stand.
Julies fancy electric water pump in her x5 went out just before the trip so I wound up in a rental MINI VAN trudging to Disney. Not my idea of fun, but the kids and Julie gave me reasons to smile.
In the end meeting Matt and his wife and daughter was a perfect end to the trip! Next time we will meet the boys. I really can't say enough about the way they opened their home and put on an amazing lunch.
The CF has led me over the years to meet close to a dozen folks mostly as they passed through Chattanooga. It's nice to put real people to screen names.
We had an 8 hour drive back and after days closing down the theme parks we reluctantly left Matt's at almost 4 pm so that we could get home at a decent hour. There were certainly cars and bikes and myriad other hobbies and viewpoints to share we just couldn't do in an afternoon!
I will say that the GMPP looks completely spotless and sanitary- esp with the Dewitt's fans- sounds awesome- and the whole car oozes class. The test drive did exactly what I hoped - which is to say it pushed me over the edge wanting more power! How to describe this? The new engine rolled power on in a way that reminded me of my old LS3 '09 much more than the L75 in my car now. After having three vintage corvettes each with older 327 and 350- 300's I've now felt a proper c2 with a high performance (and fresh!) engine.
Mind:blown.
Matt- let's do this again! I value the (fun but)superficial bond over these cars, but admire even more your focused devotion to the family and this country.
Benton
Last edited by ChattanoogaJSB; 03-24-2017 at 09:12 AM.
Benton, that is a nice story with a happy ending. Here's my two cents on a crate motor swap, if you have a 300 engine you probably have a 3.08 or a 3.36 rear gear. I 383 with the extra torque works great with that gearing and you don't need a 5 speed with an overdrive. I like Tom Parsons 56 with a small block 400 and a 3.08 rear gear. Anyway, both you guys have neat cars and you like to drive them.
Benton, that is a nice story with a happy ending. Here's my two cents on a crate motor swap, if you have a 300 engine you probably have a 3.08 or a 3.36 rear gear. I 383 with the extra torque works great with that gearing and you don't need a 5 speed with an overdrive. I like Tom Parsons 56 with a small block 400 and a 3.08 rear gear. Anyway, both you guys have neat cars and you like to drive them.
assuming my speedo is correct (I need to check it with Waze) then I have a 3.70. I always weigh in a 383. Matt's new engine just pulls and pulls (and pulls!) compared to my old girl and he is running a 3.08. I do love a 3.08...
I have the 3.70 and after making several trips with it I decided on a TKO 600. My 4 speed M21 that came with the car needed some minor work so I went with the 5 speed instead of repairing. I love the 5 speed but it is an expensive choice.
Up to 750 miles now on the new motor and added some new PML valve covers.
I really like the look of the original finned covers with the Corvette script, but need the breather and PCV set up.
A call to PML in CA got me sorted out; the lady who took my order was super nice and made chit chat about which car I had, etc. while she took my order.
5 days later they showed up:
The fit and finish is top notch, though I had to clean up 2-3 spots with my Dremel to remove excess material from where the holes were drilled.
The covers came with the required grommets, bolts, and an oil filler tube that screws onto an oil container. No need for unnatural acts with funnels now trying to fill through the side.
The cast finish matches the intake perfectly.
I had to grind a little of the exhaust manifold back to allow for the wider lip of the PML covers.
Note the spiffy placement of the PCV...
Passenger side glamor shot:
I did have to cut the breather hose and reorient the elbows on my drop air cleaner.
I did need to stack a couple washers under the ignition shielding brackets to clear the edge of the covers on the rear of each side, but I'm really stoked with these.
Not cheap at $350 delivered, but they're worth the money in cleaning up the engine bay and giving it a retro look.
I've got just a tick over 1000 miles on the motor since March, so I dare say it's broken in...I changed the oil again today (3rd time) and gave everything a once over.
This oil had about 500 miles on it with no debris on the magnetic drain plug. Never had any during the last couple changes, so it's all good in the hood...
The Gucci valve covers from PML have provisions for PCV/breather on the sides vice the top. They included a donkey d*ck looking funnel thingy to screw onto the oil bottles but I used a transmission funnel. Smart!
The engine is making great power even with my tall 3.08 diff. I've recently been tickling 5500 RPMs and getting an odd chirping sound from the tires when I shift
Weather in Tampa is mild this weekend so I took the day off to faff about in the garage and took my younger son to school in the Vette (yes, all his buds saw him get dropped off) and then I went for a 50 mile blast.
The wife wants seafood Sat night, so it's all cleaned up and ready to go!
03-23-2017, 08:33 AM
