KARTPRO1

Does anyone know how many OTC 1967 L88 engines were made?

Dr L-88

Nope. At least not for publication.

MelWff

if you read the thread below you will see a number of 277 in post #16

post #24 has numbers for later years

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...n-numbers.html

TCracingCA

I think his research goes back to the 1980's but 277 has always seemed way too high for true 1967 L88 engines!!!! The 1968 model release kind of was went the L88 went into the parts OTC system. Naturally that was 1967 still. But keep in mind that parts supply does not necessarily follow the production year release and start of production counts. And an OTC part could be released and made for sale at any point of the actual calendar year. So far most of the earliest L88 engine parts I see, come up more as what went into the 1968 models and less so for the C2 car type L88 engine builds.

Also there is in writing the story of Zora's release of the first L88 engines to places like Baldwin Motion etc. and those engines first showing up available in the Catalogs from the heavy parts Dealerships (like Nickey) or Parts networked outlets like Bill Thomas, or Gratiots, etc.. who sold GM Performance Parts direct as authorized Retailers! These becoming available to sell was big big news, and for an example both Nickey and Bill Thomas released a special 1967-1/2 year catalog to show these could be obtained. That catalog hit, about the time the 1968 models were about to be released.

PAmotorman

in 1966 there was heavy duty 427 option that was L-88 less the aluminum heads. in 1967 GM added the aluminum heads. here is a race car we ran it

TCracingCA

No one was using the term L88 for these OTC parts that were available. They were designated as Super Duty parts formally, not L88 as sold over the counters. I almost have each one of those engine part numbers identified for those!! The 1965/66 were the forefathers of the coming L88s, were called HD engines! I am finding the L88 was an internal designation being put on the development for the soon to be released aluminum headed engines. The first real usage of something being called an L88, basically got out with the release of the Penske Daytona/Sebring racer! Unless some has something else. I know Corvette News came out with an article talking of the new L88, and other publications, but those to my best recollection were after the Penske Team car made it debut in competition.

Cool picture, that thing must have been a beast and got all tail happy fun and thrilling! What year?

427Hotrod

They were very common as short blocks and with iron heads over the counter. Lots were used in race cars and boats.

I have a buddy with a '70 Nova. In fact just rode in it two weeks ago. We got our hands on the engine back around 1980 or so. A guy had bought it over the counter and dropped it in a '67 Camaro with a brand new Muncie from over the counter too. 4.56 gears and G-60x14's! he never mastered the discipline of using race gas and managed to stack bearings in it twice with in two months. After the second time, he was done and paid a friend to swap a small block in it and sold the engine to us for $300...carb to pan. Sucker barely had carbon on the 12.5 pistons!

We bought a new crank from GM and a new rod (7/16"),,,balanced it all and put it together right. We swapped the heads for a set of iron open chambers to take some compression out of it and swapped cams to a nasty Comp flat tappet...better than the L-88 cam.

The engine hasn't been touched in 35 years....still runs wicked and sounds killer. Factory long slot stamped rockers, 7/16" pushrods etc. Bulletproof stuff. It will hit 7500 RPM whenever you want to. Sweet engine!

JIM

PAmotorman

1966 here are the part numbers.

Thorson

So...277 is incorrect then? How many 1967 OTC L-88 engines were there I wonder.

TCracingCA

I think those sold in the 1967 year when they hit the counters were 1968 level engines! I plan to work through all of the part numbers to double check the research!

TCracingCA

But haven't had it out in a while! I will bounce the numbers I have researched on those Super Duty parts with these lists! The gear driven cams were SD designated in those catalogs! I would like to build four lists

1. HD 396 specific used parts to build one
2. HD 427 specific used parts to build one
3. 1967 L88 specific parts used to build one of those
4. The 1968 variation of an L88 engine!

I have the 1969 L88 in print somewhere
I have ZL-1 built engine parts lists

I have 454

I have the Can Am engine family parts list!

Naturally some parts carried on from one to the next! By 1969, those L88 counter engines were basically all newer parts numbers!

I am on an IPhone where I can't easily read those pages! But will put them side by side with the SD parts list from the catalogs that I have deciphered!

I was trying to not look into others research and just see where my research ends up, but a group effort to make sure these historical engines are detailed out as to what parts they got would be great!

TCracingCA

The Super Duty parts that I spot checked for

The 1966 HD Competition engines for example had crankshaft 3687114 a cross flow drilled unit! Not shown for RPO L72

The connecting rods were parts number #3883260 which were shot peened and magnafluxed! Not shown!

The heads used for both the HD 396 and HD 427s ended in part number 3856 which were sold bare with no valves! Not shown!

Valves for super duty both 396 and 427 were part #3879618 intake and #3879619 exhaust! Which I spotted above!

Like the
Oil pan was #3879633 which shows up above!

Etc! Etc! Etc! Etc! Etc!!!!!

The initial counter parts complete 427/425hp engines initially first sold and not designated as Super Duty where marketed under the new banner "Genuine Chevrolet Parts" was part number 3884519 (included pan, manifold, distributor, valve covers, water pump, spark plugs and these were sold and designated as clutch included which included a bell housing, flywheel, pressure plate, disc and fork, but you did not get a carb, no fuel pump, no oil filter, no fan blade, no generator, no coil, no plug wires, no starter, of ventilator!

I don't have my complete notes out tonight and the 427 short block part number ended in 3942 (solid lifter)! The fitted blocks (block, pistons, pins, rings, main bearing, cam bearings) sold used part number ended in 3943! Probably from my memory 387 or 388 parts number range!

I will see if these show in your shared pages above!

PAmotorman

some info on can am engines. forgot this scan

DansYellow66

Was the 321 4-bolt block ever used for OTC L-88 assemblies? I think my engine is basically a pieced together assembly - 68 block, 69 L-88 intake, 69-70 open chamber, aluminum heads - but I suppose the short block could have originally been an L-88 short block. It has 7/16 bolt rods. Or could just be a built up 4-bolt main block. It's been gone through a couple times and doesn't have GM pistons or cam any longer.

63Corvette

Lotsa good info in this thread

TCracingCA

Off and on I have casually looked into this stuff, but it isn't all lying around at the ready! I have some notebooks that I write things down in, and eventually I will pull stuff together! With everything in my life, I never get the time working to just look up fun stuff! I will casually look at things, but I ain't too good at organization to field immediate questions, even though I may have information on what people ask about! One of my flaws, because I see others do this so much better than me! In my work life pretty organized, but not in my hobby life! Too much stuff and a lot of times I just forget where I put things or stored things or where I wrote things down at!

One of the mysteries that I think occurred was the claimed to be released competition cars from latter 1965 to the CD test car with the 8k special tach! At the time of 1965 (396) and then 1966 (427) these very special engines we will call the iron headed L88s for conversation were designated as HD engines! But when they decided on two build levels for production and put a solid lifter 427 into production, that then got the HD designation pinned to those and so those very special parts that were HD, then were upped to being called Super Duty (basically renamed and reclassified)! Even the prior 396 pieces still available! I personally think the 450hp designation because of the timing of parts and a redirection thought to the aluminum heads had meant to add one higher SHP or Super Duty offering a competition model to the lineup of offerings to be limited production, but then they didn't- but those parts did become available over the counter, so racers could be supported without direct factory involvement! I think the problems with the Penske car engine discouraged the bean counters while Zora was trying to play the politics and wanted to race, so things like the skirting away the remaining M22 trannies etc! The problems with the aluminum heads along with internal politics caused a hiccup in the original plan!
I am less studying the production engines and more studying the special parts in my research to unlock the timeline on all of this stuff! Basically come at it from what could be obtained by a racer and not so much from the back door dealings!

To much points toward something more than a decision based on insurance concerns for the sticker change!

The redirection wasn't to build now race cars, but switched to making the parts available for the racers and the creation of the Performance parts network! I am more researching that, the history of over the counter performance and who got it etc! But the COPO system was expanded to provide to those special customer wants and needs! And then like a rocket the tuner builds took off starting slowly in 1967 basically! It took about a year for the connected up outfits to start fully utilizing the system!

TCracingCA

That I have that is Top Secret, that only I may have information on that you guys will love for my contribution for Show and Tell! We will have to go pull Rex in on all of this Can Am level stuff!

PAmotorman

there was no HP increase when the CC aluminum heads came out just a weight savings. you had to run a .5 higher CR to get the same HP as the CI heads. the aluminum OC heads made a big difference as the first set I got from GM I put on a CC engine which lowered the CR about 1.5 points and it still made 29 more HP on the dyno.

Roger O'Dell

I bought a first version l88 at the dealer, do't remember the date. Around where I lived they were popular for boats. Mine is still in my 55 chevy sedan that I sold to a friend , who has since passed away. But I'm pretty sure it's still in his family

TCracingCA

Most of the special engines were running in the same general HP ranges and then some dramatic improvements were made 1968/69 era! This was a direct result of race track discovery and engineering! The use of the Aluminum Can Am motors going for the benefit of lighter weights would port a set of heads and that went back to the design! Sometimes a limit or restriction hampered performance gains, so someone went to the drawing board and the next latest and greatest was developed and prototyped that accepted the engineering for areas where power gains could be made! The search also was for strength or adequate design for performance and durability!
I have always assumed that there was some kind of a take the next number system in play! When they developed a new part, it would get assigned a part number! Therefore I was trying to validate this by looking and thinking about the numerical lower and higher part numbers! When I see a lower numerical part number continued on to be used in the next generation or evolution of engine build, then that generally would be a very successful part and not superseded by anything newer in its application!

It is a big task, but to figure out the timelines I started on a numerical sequential parts list and trying to date by year, month the introduction! I haven't gotten too far on this project yet!

But you have to figure when they plucked parts for a build, there would have been a list of what that engine was constructed with! If something such as the aluminum head builds were ready to be assembled and offered for sale, more than likely a new part number was grabbed! Therefore essentially if my theory proves out, a complete engine should be made up of part numbers that are numerically lower! In other words, the parts came first before the chicken and the engine came after the egg! I hope I didn't lose anyone on that theory!