Gonzo_65_L76

Too much fun. Still a few kinks to work out. I'm now comfortable driving at about 80% throttle. Gonna do one more oil change before fully opening it up. Still a lot of fun though…

One thing I've learned - the 50 year old Stingray frame is… not great for 500+ horsepower. The whole car flexes around 4k RPMs when I hit max torque. This is as close as I'm gonna get to driving a '63 GrandSport, or 67 L88. Hard to imagine racing those cars in the day. Even at 80% of pedal for short bursts I feel like I need complete focus at the wheel.

The Center Force clutch is a little less grabby after ~500 miles. The LGT700 is still pretty stiff, but getting better (or I'm just getting used to it). I think I've used 5th a total of 60 seconds (once in the vid) as I'm constantly trying to keep the car under load while breaking it in.

Also interesting is that the car feels scary fast, but the reality is its still no where near a modern sports car. My 911 will still mop the floor with the Corvette. The difference is the Stingray is far more fun and engaging to drive.

Also funny - my wife loves the Corvette more than the 911. The Porsche tends to attract ~25 year old girls who wanna pull along side and say, 'hi'. The Stingray attracts ~60 year old men!

427Hotrod

That was a fun ride-along! Sounds great and you're breaking it in right!

Now about that 911 stuff....sounds like we still need to do a little Vette work!

JIM

JackTripper

Very cool!

VITIV Coupe

For a few seconds there, I thought I was in a 68 Ford Mustang GT390 going thru the gears. Excellent ride, thank you very much. Very cool.

MarkC

Thanks for posting, I see you got it all under the stock hood. Can you post pictures of the engine and what intake are you running? Thanks.

Vet65te

Great video and love the sound. What are the cam specs in your 406? Just a guess but it looks like you were on Highway 280. I'm originally from SF and worked for Genentech in South City for 10 years.
Mike T - Prescott AZ

Gonzo_65_L76

I don't think there's any amount of work I can do for the 25 year old girls... they don't even know what kind of car it is!

Beating the 911 would be tough. The thing that makes the Stingray so much fun is the lack of computers. Its actually me driving the car, not a bank of computers with more power than what first landed a man on the moon. The truth is anyone can go fast in a 911, consistently. Driving a 65 Stingray fast takes focus and skill. I don't have millisecond paddle shifts, traction control, 315 tires, torque vectoring, variable cams, aerodynamics... heated seats...

-Gonzo

Gonzo_65_L76

Hi Mark.

Here's the CF thread I started for the build.

Specifically, I have an Edelbrock knock-off, dual plane intake that's ~1.5 inches taller than stock. Getting an air-cleaner under the stock hood was a trick (I wanted to stick with the stock 327 hood. What we eventually found to fit was a 3 inch drop-base off a 68 Z-28. They had the same problem with the massive Holley they used.

-Gonzo

Gonzo_65_L76

That is Hwy 280.

Cam specs:

• VALVE LIFT WITH 1.5 ROCKERS : INT .565 / EXT .580
• DURATION IN DEGREES : INT .300 / EXT .306
• DURATION @0.050" : INT .245 / EXT .253
• LOBE SEPARATION ANGLE : 110ş

The cam is right at the top-end for decent drivability. I'm very happy with it. If the car were any heavier, I probably would have gone with something a little less lopey. I have to run my idle at about 900 RPMs to keep things smooth at a stop light, but other than that, it's perfect. My goal was 500+ hp in something I could use as a (sunny) daily driver... this is it!

-Gonzo

ptjsk

Nice ride! That's the next best thing to actually driving the car!

I like the part near the 3:45-3:50 time clock....The 65 MPH sign doesn't apply! LOL!

280....I thought it looked familiar, as I grew up in the Bay Area.

Pat

rayvaflav

Fun to watch that video, alla' that power ! What are you doing for brakes ? If they're the stock Delco-Moraine 4 piston calipers and stock rotors are they doing okay with that drivetrain ?

Ray

MarkC

Did you dyno the car after installing the motor, just curious what your rwhp is?

Fat Mike

Gonzo - thanks for a really nice ride along! Your engine sounds really strong.

6T5RUSH

gonzo_65_L76,

Really enjoyed the ride. That 406 must pull like '*****' You're going to love that AND the Legend 700. Have over 13,000 miles on mine. Shifts just snug enough and right.



Jim
In God We Trust!

LouieM

Agreed. My (maybe) 300 horse 67 ragtop is way more engaging to drive than my 400 hp C6 coupe, which is why I autocross my Sting Ray like crazy and have autoxed my C6 only once. I'm pretty sure a ragtop C2 was never meant for 520 modern horsepower. Mine is a flexible flyer. Enjoyed your video, esp. since those are my regular roads.

Gonzo_65_L76

I'm still using the stock discs... I did a little reading about the Wilwoods and decided to stick with what I have. They actually work well, and are infinitely better than the drums I had on my old '64.

Only dyno'd the engine. My guess is that I'm approaching 400 rwhp. But that's just a guess. To be honest, I thought I would care more about finding out, but I don't. This thing is the funnest car I've ever driven, and (I never thought I would say this...) has ENOUGH horsepower. I think my brain just seg faulted...

That said, I am looking forward to the next Stingray project that will have an SRIII and around another 100hp. Surveys and soil tests for the new garage are done. Plans are nearly complete. I'm hoping to break ground in mid-April and finish by summer. Then we start building the Kraken!

ptjsk

Building a new garage is almost as exciting as building another Corvette!

I hope it's easier to build in your County than it is in El Dorado County.

Cost(s), Permits and an anti build attitude in El Dorado makes it one of the more difficult Counties of which to build in.

With that being said, I'm sure it's probably difficult to build anywhere in California, where every hand wants to be lined with green! And that's before you begin to place a shovel in the soil.

ILBMF

Back in the day a guy I knew had a black on black 4 speed '68 fastback with a 390 and 428 heads. What a beast!

MarkC

When I bought my 66 4 years ago the front calipers had been replaced with the Wilwoods with 4 Pistons. The rears were OEM. The fronts needed a 1/8 inch spacer to clear the Wilwoods. This past summer on the way to Carlisle my brakes started feeling different. At Carlisle I talked to the Wilwood reps and decided to replace the pads and rotors. Their rotors have an e coating so you rotor doesn't rust. I also decided to go with the Vette Brakes rebuilt calipers vs the Wilwood's on the rear as I didn't want the 1/8 inch spacer on the rear. I have the knockoff bolt ons which will not clear the Wilwood calipers without a spacer. Anyway, my brakes work extremely well. Here is a picture of the front.

I am told the Wilwood calipers will clear the steel wheels but I don't know this for a fact. I also have power brakes. With this set up I can easily lock the brakes up.

DZAUTO

Several of my engines are based on the SB400. Unfortunately, I'm not able to afford the luxury of a DART block, but when built within reasonable parameters, a GM block can easily become a really killer engine that is very dependable and long lasting.
I have often promoted building an engine based on the SB400 block, but unfortunately, there are so many false old wives tails about the 400 block which seems to have discouraged many people from building one. Anything from a 406 to a 420 is just too easy to build, and with the weight savings and more compact size compared to a BB, ESPECIALLY when installing a 400 into a 56-62 Vette, 57 Chevy, street rod, etc, they just make an excellent choice for a great performance/street/driver engine. Using alum parts (heads, water pump, bell housing, etc) on a SB400 to reduce more weight will significantly produce even more overall improvement.