c2vette64

I don't post here much at all (obviously), mainly look for information from the many knowledgeable contributors whenever I need an answer.

That said, I wanted to make a comment on my 1964 StingRay with the 250 hp base engine.

I originally bought this car a couple of decades back with the idea of "hotrodding" it for want of a better term. However after looking closely at it I discovered that other than paint and the differential it was a very original numbers matching car. I completely refreshed it with new repro parts where necessary for safety and driveability, but saved the original alternator, water pump, and fuel pump.

Now many years later I will say that I absolutely love this 250 hp engine. I can literally idle off the line in 3rd gear, don't need to downshift from 4th to pass at highway speeds, it starts within 2 or 3 seconds even after sitting a couple of weeks, gets decent gas mileage, and comfortably cruises at part throttle at 80-85 mph on the local toll road where legal.

I am not out to win any drag races, so for me this is just a perfect engine. Looking at the dyno curves the lower rpm torque numbers compare very favorably with the higher hp engines, so no wonder it is so pleasant to drive.

Parting comment is that I attended a "Cars and Coffee" at a local racetrack where it was mostly newer Corvettes and expensive Ferraris and Porsches, etc. Pleasantly surprised that my old Corvette was the cover car for the event Facebook page after that weekend (go figure). https://www.facebook.com/events/336669843796020/


cheers y'all

Bluestripe67

You are doing it right. Appreciate everything about the car along with proper maintenance and you will get the smiles as you drive the miles. Dennis

Railroadman

Glad to hear that! My '64 is a project car and not yet on the road. But it's a 250hp 4-speed and I'm really looking forward to enjoying it. A lifetime ago I drove a girl friend's 250 and it was a fun car. I have no quarrel with those who want more beef, (and I have a 300hp C-4 which steps out nicely) but I think the '64 will bring plenty of smiles when I get it on the road.

What rear are you running in yours?

c2vette64

It is a 3:37 as I remember (or close if that is not the exact ratio) It is a later version (posi) and I recollect that I read the 63/64 differentials had a design problem that often caused failures so suspect that is why it was replaced at some point.
The original option was also positraction so that is not why it was "upgraded".

Rob_64-365

Sounds like a nice car that you take care of well. The only thing I would recommend on any car with a single master cylinder is changing to a dual master cyllinder. After seeing how easily my brake lines fell apart when I started doing the disk conversion on my 64, it put a scare in me, just knowing at any time, had I lost one brake line, I would have had no brakes, besides the emergency brake.

c2vette64

That is on my "to do" list and is kind of always in the back of my mind. I replaced the lines with new as well as the M/C but that is certainly a good recommendation especially since I drive the car quite often.

I worked a very short time for a logging company and remember being shocked that the huge log skidders had single master cylinders. Sure enough one had a brake failure and ended up with the driver jumping out and the skidder in a ravine with major damage.

Frankie the Fink

My 63 split window is a base motor 250hp 327ci with a Muncie 4-speed; the advance curve is tweaked to the max....its a peppy, fun motor with superb street manners; I have no big complaints about it and if torque is your measurement it has nearly that of the 300hp engine....

My only mentionable issue is that it could sound a bit more aggressive; however, I'm not swapping original parts off the car just to make that happen...

R66

So, R66 base motor (300/327) is perfect for us. Don't need the RUMP, RUMP, RUMP as my wife has plenty. She says I made it that way, but I blame the kids.

Plenty of performance to propel the lightweight C2 on the street.

Drive it and love it.

Ron

Railroadman

That would be 3:36, which is what mine has. I too have heard the early rears were not that stout, but I don't plan on flogging mine too bad. (Altho you know the saying - "An on-ramp is a terrible thing to waste!" )

Greg

Putting this in the correct context of time, 250 horsepower was no slouch by any means in 1964.
The all new Mustang V-8 was rated at 200 HP, Barracuda's V-8 advertised 180 horsepower and even GM's flagship Cadillac came in at a rating of 325 horsepower. Of course all offered higher HP versions, this was each brand's base model. So that little Sting Ray coming in at 250 HP for its entry level offering would have been a considerable bragging right all on its own.

tbarb

My cars are 300hp which uses the same camshaft as the 250hp engine and while I like the SHP engines I relish the low idle and smooth manners of the low hp engines.

I consider it a challenge to get them to run at low idle rpm's like the book spec but take off like a rocket if you stomp the throttle.

A good tune has different meanings with each engine combo IMO.

Johnbar

FLYNAVY30

I'm quite jealous!! My wife and I purchased a house up in Lakeway for when I retire from the Navy and we move back to the area. I remember when the Austin Cars & Coffee used to be around the corner at The Oasis a few years back. I didn't realize they had moved it to COTA.

Apologies for going off topic....I get excited when I see other C2 drivers from Austin! 4 more years......

Nowhere Man

while driving my BB Chevelle, dads 427 vette, and his L79 is fun, there is something about his base 300 67 that is so relaxing and enjoying that is something you just need to experience. I don't call it the sewing machine for nothing

SWCDuke

You've figured out that low end torque/power is the most useable engine output behavior for the way most of us drive these cars, today. The 327/250 produces about the same peak torque as SHP/FI engines, but it's all there at only 2800 instead of 3600-4000. I try to make this point with those who want a "400 HP 327". Yes it can be done, but it will be a dog down low, consume a lot of fuel, and be a cantankerous beast around town, but will sound great idling if that's your prime objective, which appears to sometimes be the case.

I never understood why Chevrolet built this configuration. It's basically a stroked 283/230, so Taylor's Rule says it should make about the same peak power as the former, but it does have slightly higher compression. It got even weirder when Chevrolet built it with big port heads in '65 instead of the previous 283 type heads, but kept the small port inlet manifold and 400 CFM WCFB. And it likely didn't cost more to build than a 327/300, but back in that era GM played the option game. It made sense that Chevrolet made the 327/300 the base Corvette engine for '66.

Because of the high VE at low revs, GM equipped it with a very conservative spark advance map. For '63 the 4 degree initial timing recommendation and short/lazy 24 @ 4600 centrifugal yielded total WOT advance of only 28, which is well below the 36-40 optimum. Try advancing the initial to a couple of degrees below the detonation limit. You should feel a SOTP improvement. I think the map changed a bit in '64 or '65, but don't recall the data off hand.

Beyond this modifying the centrifugal to yield about 30 @ 3500 with 6-10 initial should noticeably improve output across the entire useable rev range.

Duke

kenba

That's what we called them in the day sewing machine motors because they of how quietly they ran making about the same noise is my Mom's old Singer.

Nowhere Man

and reliable as one too. great around town and even though the back roads and hills.

Black 03 Z06

Perhaps a bit off topic for this particular thread but a very good friend had a 327/250 horsepower motor with a 4 speed in a 1963 Impala. The car was the Canadian champion for F/Stock when it was owned by Park Lane Motors in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The motor was built by Dynamic Engines in Detroit and was NHRA legal.

That car out and out hauled butt and yet since it was his only car at the time worked reasonably well on the street. Great motor with a lot of capabilities.

Your Vette sounds like a really nice car, enjoy it.

kenba

You are right. We had a lot of troubles with the HP small blocks & big blocks but the low HP engines never let one down they kept going on.

emdoller