Z28/302

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tuxnharley

Not directly responsive to your detailed questions at this point, but your original advice was right on. If it's not too late you might want to explain to your friend that the 327/300 was SAE gross horsepower under the old rating system, and the 350/290 is SAE net horsepower under the new system (since about 1972.....).

So doing a comparison on an equal basis, today's 290 HP would be at least 20% greater (if not more, some run up to as much as 25% to 30% more) by the old system. Using even the conservative lower %, that makes it about 350 HP by the old rating.

He wouldn't have been going down in HP, he woulda been increasing !

65hihp

Mark should be kept away from mid-year corvettes. There are not a lot of them left, and he's dangerous around them. Let's try to steer him into mustangs or GTOs or something else that won't hurt so much when he destroys it.

Gary's '66

with 65hihp.

I realize that this really doesn't answer your question and, while no offence meant to you or your friend, he really shouldn't be the owner of an older/classic car. If I were in your shoes I'd try like hell to talk him into selling it ASAP and buying something newer, MUCH newer.

From what you've written about him, the way he's treated it so far and, quite frankly the fact that he seems to be lacking a good deal of common sense and doesn't want to listen to you all tells me that you'll be working on it constantly!

Gary

64luke

Why get sucked into this further? It's clear your pal needs a shoeleather upgrade to his butt.

427/42566 coup

there is absolutely no substitute for common sense

Bluestripe67

[QUOTE=427/42566 coup;1590566953]there is absolutely no substitute for common sense[/QUOTE

I agree 110% with the above. I would feel guilty if I made any recommendations. Maybe he should buy a Tesla...no oil or temp gauges. Dennis

BD104X

Hey, if Mark is willing to throw money at it while he bashes his way thru the learning curve, then all the power to him - one of us will get a sweet deal on that car when he finally gets frustrated & gives up!!! . I just don't have the patience for someone who asks for my help & advice and then does the opposite - that's when I'd have walked.

alexandervdr

Dewitts sells higher rating radiators see here http://www.dewitts.com/products/1963...r-no-detailing, give about 30% better cooling than the old one when it was new, probably much more compared to the one that was in. I ordered one for my dead standard 350/290 GM crate that is fitted in my 64 coupe.

A new manifold on a performance engine may mean a higher manifold. C2s are known to have headroom problems between the air filter and the hood for anything non stock.

I am doing a full body off. Not saying you should go that far, however be careful and check as much as you can. My brakes were gone, split lock pins on wheels and suspension were missing, the carb leaked on the exhaust manifold, the rear half shafts missed the big holding clips inside the rear-end, so the whole rear could swivel in and out, the knock-off wheels were not tightened. Those are just the most obvious findings. Next to that there were a zillion of smaller things that were worn or broke. I am not the purist type, and I am not a racer. I want a safe reliable car that I can use a lot.

Just as a side note: the way your friend 'reasons' is a straight ticket to sequential failure. And at the end he will stop being a friend If he were my friend I would refuse to work on his car.

FasterIsBetter

And another one bites the dust. Your friend should not be anywhere near a C2. IMHO, the right thing to do would have been to find a period correct 327, and do it right. Numbers matching or not, it's still a C2 and deserves to be kept as such. Again, that's my opinion.

Your friend would be much happier in a C4 or even better, a C5. There are plenty of them out there, they don't need the care and attention that a C2 requires, and you can go out and drive them like you stole them. Your friend needs to sell that C2 and go buy himself a "modern" car, something more in line with his "put the key in and go" style of motoring.

Z28/302

His C5, with my 69 Z/28 and my daughter's del Sol.

65hihp

Does Mark like computers? Any chance you could get him to sign up for the C1/C2 corvette forum, so he could share his ideas and thoughts on C2 corvettes here with us personally? It would make for very entertaining dialogue. We have lots of advice to give, and love sharing it.

Frankie the Fink

I see this a lot - somebody falls in love with the vintage Corvette 'dream' and only sees themselves riding down the road a midst other admiring drivers.

They have no concept of the hours, weeks, months of work to get these cars up to a threshold where pleasurable, trouble-free driving is possible. I would estimate it took 18-24 months before I would launch my C1 or C2 on a several hundred mile journey....all I do now is tune and lube 'em up and rock on.

Your pal has four options IMO:

1) learn to do work himself, or, if has deep pockets,
2) have somebody else do the work and pay for it,
3) sell the car,
4) contact forum member Donny Brass and hope for another miracle (that's a joke folks!)

You're obviously a good guy but I don't think you can 'befriend' this fella out of his woes.

When you're up to your *** in alligators its hard to remember your goal was to drain the swamp!

ChattanoogaJSB

The days when I was broke and ONLY had a nicer car are long over, and I suspect it's that way for most of us on this forum side.

Fact is, if you're playing the early Corvette game and you are worried about the cost of a clutch, or fuses, you aren't having much fun at the end of the day. Trying to be kind, I pity your friend a bit.

Mostly I try and be mild and respect that many guys here know more than I do- but if he won't check his fluids or mind his gauges then he doesn't deserve the car. Whatever respect he thinks he gets owning the car as part of a "brotherhood" goes out the window in my book.

You have been way more patient than I would d***ing around with it. He must he a good dude in some other ways.

Frankie the Fink

Yeah - my old grandma used to say, "....the road to the poor house is paved with good intentions"!

tuxnharley

Trying to help your friend is going to be a

I'd suggest you tell him you're too busy to deal with his car, and leave him to learn his own lessons. He'll never change if you keep bailing him out, you've become his enabler.

That is, of course, unless you're doing all this just to keep the band together? I've seen stranger interpersonal dynamics at play when it comes to band members................

Westlotorn

Z28, I really like your car. You are on your own with your friend. Nobody walks in your shoes so you decide what to do.
The engine is toast but many components are just fine after the overheat.
327 blocks are out there every day. It does not have to be Corvette 327 just find a running 870 block and build it, you could use his heads if they did not crack and it would look fine.
I think you said he already ordered his 383, the components to swap will cost as much as a 327 or 350 block that would have worked with the old flywheel and clutch set up.
You are a good friend, maybe he will sell you this car cheap soon when he tires of it.

Z28/302

I tried to explain that he could have a 350/290HP engine with a warranty for $2,000, with a total repair cost of around $3,000. He had to have more power. I've been telling him he's looking at five grand minimum, and probably closer to six, but he won't listen.

Did Chevrolet use the same driveshaft and u-joints in the big block cars?

Frankie the Fink

If he's adding more HP then I would be more worried about the condition of the all drum brakes than driveshaft and U-joints....they'll take the power boost just fine...

Mr D.

He better figure out a way to cough up $5K if he wants to see this car run again.