Some of my fondest younger memories include a '64 convert with a 427. Simple 5 min 'blue wrench' mod of the front crossmember.

 

In that case, you're about to have the time of your life!
Sounds like you really NEED a big-block.

 

There's nothing like a big block....Go for it!!

...and there's no end to the mega cube combos you can spend a "bunch" on either. A solid lifter 375 hp. 396 back in the day was a "fast" engine...and much FUN!

Something different, but still reminiscent of the days of old is still what trips my trigger....mega cubes, mega super modern technology, mega current anything.. bah humbug! ..older nostalgia that was awsome back in the day , is still awesome now...again for FUN! (cheaper too..)

These cars won't ever be fast by today's standards...so build something cool and FUN.

396?...yep, great idea!! Big block torque..is a "grin maker" for sure! ...and who cares if looks like it came from GM....that's the first thing that got changed back in the day. Headers , gears, wheels, shift kits, better cams, performance clutches or some combination thereof was added almost instantly to many "new" Corvettes back then.

I'm doing things that are on "my bucket list"...it may be 40 years later, but the new stuff just doesn't fill the void.

Do what thrills "you" ...you will be glad you did! Then take some of your small block buddies for a ride in your solid lifter 396 powered classic. They will be shocked at what a good ole' solid lifter 396 "really" feels like. Most don't have a clue.

Best regards...Stan

 

Go for it!
I'm going through the same thing right now (for all the original purest I suggest you stop reading now)
My first Corvette was a 67 435HP convertible. Had it in college but decided to sell it and buy a 67 small block coupe after only one year. At the time I paid double for the coupe than what the convertible sold for. (Love the coupes)!

I still have the coupe! It's an original 327 300 hp. I even have the tank sticker. I've owned it 40 years now. At one point in the late 70s I removed the original motor and installed a 350 with a 671 blower. Had a blast with it until the motor launched a couple years later.

I restored it 16 years ago. putting back the original motor but decided then to change the color to Sunfire yellow while the stripped body was off the frame. I just did not like the original Goodwood Green. "No offense to all you Goodwood owners" Everyone thought I was nuts then just for that!

Fast forward to today. I'm yearning for that feeling of a big block again so decided to pull the original motor and put it away in a safe corner with all the remaining original parts I plan to swap out.

I have just about everything I need and will be doing the swap this September! I purchased a complete 69 427 motor. It's ready to drop
in. Going to make it a 400 hp tri-power (67 unit of course) and as close to original specs as possible. I will say I'm excited about it and having fun gathering the parts to make the swap!

Just something I want to do! Hell in another 20 years, if I'm lucky to make it that far... I'll probably not even know my name. And we all know how fast 20 years will go! And by then who know where this hobby will be?

The next owner can do what they please with it


I'll be taking photos and post them here along with some of the vintage photos of my car If there any interest?

Bob

 

Pics!! We want pics!

Great story about having fun with your car...and not just collecting parts!

The stuff all just bolts in. It can all be unbolted later on if someone wants to.

Opening the hood and seeing a big block...and with tri-power no less is just cool. Nailing it in 2nd gear is even better!


JIM

 

If I were going to replace the engine in my '65, '66 or '67 Corvette I would make every attempt to make the replacement engine a big block. Because sinking 5k into any engine, be it big or small block is so easy why not make it a big block? A Mark Jones big block at that?

I believe CF member ajrothm did some business with Mark Jones and I know there's at least one pic on the forum showing atmosphere between his front tires and the drag strip. Also, if I remember correctly CF member Larry N. Johnson also purchased Vortecpro engine. I don't distinctly remember what the results were but I don't recall them being bad. I just don't see how you could beat the price, the service and the horsepower for the money.

As far as appearances go, just because I prefer the factory appearance I would dress the thing up like a factory installed big block which shouldn't be that hard.

 

Hey, everybody and their brother-in-law has a 427. Most of the rest have crate motors, some mighty power making motors I acknowledge.

So what? What's interesting about them besides the tremendous performance? What are you gonna say at the show, lean back on your fender twirling a toothpick in your maw and say...'yep, got me a crate motor, or, got me a 427 car just like all the other ones you've ever seen."

Now a 396 car, real or imagined so long as disclosed is interesting, far more interesting than what a Visa card and a summit catalog can buy.
People will want to talk about it. You will hear people say "I didn't know they came with a 396" and have your chance to provide a valuable public service with an abbreviated L78 oral history.

You won't get that kind of conversation with your 496's or whatever they are. You'll get guys wanting to know what you paid.

And with 8 427 C2's in a line one as pretty as the other what do ask an owner? "Raise your hand if you use Zip......" "Whicha you guys uses Zymol"?

So I say, after my third glass of wine do a 396 car and have a ball. I do.

Dan

 

Maybe a 396 is more rare and valuable (what, 4-5 months production?) than a seven liter (two whole C2 model years), or the OP has special memories or dreams of a BB '65?

And maybe he wants max mpg on long trips, so forget 500+ inches and max HP hot rod parts?

 

As long as it is a NOM car and you have plenty of money and time, why not put the baddest big block you can find or build. Go with a 496, 550-600hp, like I did and enjoy the ride! No SBC can match the torque and pull of a well built BBC. Just my opinion. HD

 

Everyone here likes tons of pics, so post them early and post them often!

 

Very well put, Dan

But then I'm biased .. owner of last factory 396 VIN 23564 (and the last '65 produced, as a bonus).

Wayne -- after a bowl of Bran Flakes (it's 8 am here)

P.S. it's the yellow convertible hardtop in my avatar.

 

So if I'm reading you correctly you're suggesting a big block Chevrolet that displaces 396 cubic inches is somehow inherently more cool than a larger displacement big block Chevrolet?

 

Yep...at least to some of us. Because they are rarer now..

Back in the day there were a lot more 396's than 427's so everyone wanted a 427 ( more "rated" hp. too).

But a solid lifter 396 would out run a lot of lesser cammed bigger engines....and if you ever had a really good 396 you didn't worry too much about any other engine, 427's or otherwise.

Now everyone has everything but a 396...so old 396 owners have a "thing" for the good ones.

At least that's my take on it...but to quote Patrick Swayze in Road House. "Opinions vary"....lol.

 

Stan's response to you speaks for itself, and for me as well.


But since it is me you asked, let me try to answer without insulting you as that is not my intention.


Do you judge the quality of a restaurant by the size of the portions served or the quality of the food? Do you rate women by the size of their breasts alone* or her overall beauty and character? Do you conclude any large building is better to own than a smaller one regardless of its tenancy and the income it produces?


*I acknowledge there may be no wrong answer on this one.


It's not just quantity my friend. The 396 Corvette, unlike most every other Corvette, is truly a rare beast, and for those of us who own one a very special car.


Dan

 

Sorry Dan...I see now that I answered a question directed at you. My bad...

..and Mudbone...I wasn't intending to be insulting if it seemed so...I like 427's and all the big blocks...but have a soft spot for the 396's too.

Stan..

 

Bigger cubes, better in every way.

 

It's a 65. Why not a 396 ? I'd put aluminum heads on it though to keep the weight down. I rode in a 69 Chevelle back in 71 with a 396/375 hp engine, had intake, cam and headers on it (I helped). Darn thing would PIN you to the seat !! What a FUN car. DO IT !!! BTW, I put a 454 in my 64 w/all the goodies. I don't have it on the road yet, but it makes a menacing rumble. Pops

 

Give me a solid lifter 468 with forged internals and I'll willingly go to battle with any similarly equipped 396. I think I've got the performance advantage.

Indeed they do.

A real deal numbers matching L78: cool.
A cloned L78 with a correct '65 396 block (you do know about the block don't you?): cool.
A cloned appearing L78 minus the correct block where the owner specifically stipulated a 396 when a larger displacement engine could have been selected: uh, I guess it's okay if you prefer limited performance potential.

I'm not going to get down in the weeds about intangibles such as square footage and cup size so let's be clear, do I think a '65 L78 is cool because it's rare? Yes, I do. However, we're not talking about that are we? Kevin is considering putting a bbc in his car and is looking for advice. Why in anywhere in hotroddingdom would you ever do an engine replacement similar to this one and select a smaller cubic inch engine? Also, I haven't even suggested a 427 and I'm well north of a 396 cubic inch engine.

Call it a "crate motor" (your pejorative usage) if you will, but I don't think a person could compare what Vortecpro is offering to anything Summit or GMPP is (no offense to any of the Summit or GMPP guys). We're talking about a hand built engine here complete with dyno testing.

Cubes are king my friend. Whatever combo you can come up with will be defeated by a similarly equipped larger cubic inch engine.

I really don't give a dam about what someone else thinks of my car. I don't care if they think I've got a mass produced 427 or an old egg-beater 327. I do however care about what I think is cool. What I think is cool is slowly and not so violently pulling away from a stop only to watch the tires go up in smoke as I apply increasing amounts of throttle.

 

Well there Mudbone, that's one long diatribe you pecked out for a guy who says "I really don't give a dam (sic) about what someone else thinks of my car." If that were true I don't think you would have bothered. There's nothing at all wrong or untrue about what you said either, but your lathered up because others of us prefer our stock/correct cars over modified ones. Naturally that's the advice we would give, just as yours is to go the route you did. Both are valid. You assumed the OP wants to street race or drag race or burn up sets of tires after work. I did not make that assumption, and a stock 396 L78 is enough power for many of us. But not all.

And yes, I'm aware of the correct casting numbers for a Corvette L78, thanks for checking.

Dan

 

Careful of the grammar stones you cast. I'm sure your English teacher taught you the difference between "your" and "you're". By the way, I do know how to spell "damn". I was only trying to be nice.

Honestly, where in any of the posts in this thread or any other thread did I ever, ever say I preferred modified cars over stock ones? Guess what? I didn't say it here nor have I ever said it before. As a matter of fact I definitely prefer stock over modded but that's not what we're talking about here is it? We're talking about an easy, cost effective way of installing a bbc where there once was none.

Believe me, I could go after this statement from many different angles but we'll just say for conversation's sake I made no assumption. Though I'll readily confess I'll smoke the tires after work, I will stipulate If I'm going street or drag racing I'm going to be packin' way in excess of a little over 500 flywheel horsepower. Heck, I'm beginning to wonder if you even read any of the ad I gave a link to. There is the part of the ad that reads as follows:
"467 517 HP 564 TQ
9.1 compression
Excellent muscle car engine replacement, excellent vacuum, very street friendly
Dyno tested $5295.00".
What part of "street friendly" needs to be explained any further?

Lastly, is there any other characteristic that's a dead giveaway for '65 L78 block you can think of?

Sorry fer junkin' up yer thread Kevin.