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Ya I'm just doing my research rite now, I'm going to get the body all 100% first then tackle mechanical stuff.. Is it ever possible to prove it's a 340hp car with no build sheet or original engine?
Without some original documentation, it may not be possible to prove conclusively it was a 340 hp engine.
However, as others have stated, the tachometer is one indication of the 340 hp engine. Check the back of the instrument cluster for a date stamp. If there is one and it is consistent with the build date of the car, it's a good indication it is the original cluster. Based on what the family has told you, is there any reason to believe the cluster is not original to the car?
The date stamp should look something like the stamp between the 13 and the 12 on this cluster. It may also have a paper tag as the one on the center right.
If the chassis is assembled still, look for any evidence of power steering or a steering stabilizer. If there is no evidence of either having been there, you have another indicator that the original engine was a 340 hp engine. The steering linkage should look like this...
Without some original documentation, it may not be possible to prove conclusively it was a 340 hp engine.
However, as others have stated, the tachometer is one indication of the 340 hp engine. Check the back of the instrument cluster for a date stamp. If there is one and it is consistent with the build date of the car, it's a good indication it is the original cluster. Based on what the family has told you, is there any reason to believe the cluster is not original to the car?
The date stamp should look something like the stamp between the 13 and the 12 on this cluster. It may also have a paper tag as the one on the center right.
If the chassis is assembled still, look for any evidence of power steering or a steering stabilizer. If there is no evidence of either having been there, you have another indicator that the original engine was a 340 hp engine. The steering linkage should look like this...
Good luck... GUSTO
I have all the parts, no power steering and no damper. Why no damper on 340hp cars?
I'll check the date but I beleave the cluster to be original. Family told me it was a 340hp car, engine went missing over 20 years ago. Beleave it wound up being rebuilt and out in a camaro..
What difference does it make anyway since you do not have the original engine.
Figured if I could prove it is buy a date code correct engine for it and make it as close as I can. If I can't prove it then it don't matter I can put any small block in it...
I have all the parts, no power steering and no damper. Why no damper on 340hp cars?
Cars with L76 motors (340 hp), at least in 64 and 65 (365hp), were not able to be ordered with power steering because the oil pan was a larger (6l vs 5l) then on the lower horsepower motors. Power steering simply wouldn't fit.
Congratulations on your new project. You can try Googling your VIN or the sequence number plus key words to see if any one has advertised the engine for sale. Also check our Orphan post: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...list-here.html
Figured if I could prove it is buy a date code correct engine for it and make it as close as I can. If I can't prove it then it don't matter I can put any small block in it...
IMO, that is a excellent way to proceed, and that's what I would do. That is why i suggested above to look at the top end parts on the engine you received. Many times the short block is changed but the original top end is reused.
Look at the oil pan if it's a corvette pan that came with the car. The high hp pan is five quart plus one qt. for the filter which is why the steering stabilizer will not clear.
IMO, that is a excellent way to proceed, and that's what I would do. That is why i suggested above to look at the top end parts on the engine you received. Many times the short block is changed but the original top end is reused.
Look at the oil pan if it's a corvette pan that came with the car. The high hp pan is five quart plus one qt. for the filter which is why the steering stabilizer will not clear.
Ya it has all the signs of a 340hp car, sadly no definitive proof so I think a restomod will be the route to go.. Stay true to the car but 4 wheel discs and upgrade the suspension..
Ya it has all the signs of a 340hp car, sadly no definitive proof so I think a restomod will be the route to go.. Stay true to the car but 4 wheel discs and upgrade the suspension..
Keep it in perspective. Very very few cars can be absolutely proven to be what they appear. Restored "original" cars can have re-stamped engines and even reproduction trim tags. Documented cars with paperwork? That can be faked. Yes, people who really know what they're looking at can spot some of the forgery, but the point is that there's almost no such thing as absolute proof that a car is what it claims to be.
If you document what you have now and restore it as a 340hp car, I don't think anybody is really going to question that's what it was/is. It has all the signs, so people will accept it just as we're accepting it here. That's really all we have to go on with almost any C2, with the exception of the cars with iron-clad documentation and/or histories. If you disclose the re-stamped engine, which you definitely should, I think most buyers will acknowledge your honesty and accept the car as a 340hp car with a "matching numbers" but not "born with" block. It'll be no different than 95% of the restored cars out there.
Whichever way you go, good luck!
Last edited by BlackbirdZ07; 10-01-2017 at 01:27 PM.
09-21-2017, 10:39 PM
