Is the L48 a good engine? Comments please...
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 111
Likes: 63
From: Mississippi
I have been looking for a Corvette. I found one in the local papers, it is a 76 Corvette with a 350 L48 engine and 4 speed manual. Guy says everything is stock. He wants $5500.
Here are my 2 questions. A 4 speed sounds like it should not be paired with a 350ci engine. Was this the standard back in the 70's vettes? I can't imagine how a 4 speed could handle a 350.
My second question, I did a search on the web and the only stat I found says the L48 makes 180HP. This sounds like a very low number.
How good is the L48 engine? Should I be looking for something else? I don't want to have some V6 honda beat me on the road, that would be humiliating. I am not looking to race, but I would like to know if I need to drop the hammer, the car will move.
Can the L48 be easily modified to produce extra HP?
Here are my 2 questions. A 4 speed sounds like it should not be paired with a 350ci engine. Was this the standard back in the 70's vettes? I can't imagine how a 4 speed could handle a 350.
My second question, I did a search on the web and the only stat I found says the L48 makes 180HP. This sounds like a very low number.
How good is the L48 engine? Should I be looking for something else? I don't want to have some V6 honda beat me on the road, that would be humiliating. I am not looking to race, but I would like to know if I need to drop the hammer, the car will move.
Can the L48 be easily modified to produce extra HP?
So with that said, the biggest issue you might face buying a C3 will have nothing to do with the drivetrain (I’d have done an LS swap if I didn’t already have a modern vette), but rather the frame and birdcage if you don’t know where to check. These cars had STEEL FRAMES, and they can be rusted out shitboxes after a few decades of being left out by negligent owners. The fiberglass body panels will never rust though, so unless you check the frame and birdcage, you’d never know whether or not you were signing up for a deal or a potentially deadly ripoff. I knew a guy who found a “once in a lifetime” deal on an SS camaro (I think 69 but not sure) and the frame broke on him while he was driving it. That car had metal body panels too, but those had been bondo’d really well and he was just so excited to see the low sticker that he didn’t think to check the frame. Young and stupid struck him hard, and if the frame had broken on driver side Im sure he’d have been toast.
TLDR: do your homework and CHECK THE FRAME AND BIRDCAGE!!!
You can always swap in an LS (better power and gas mileage) or a new carb’d crate motor with tranny for less than 10k if you find a good deal. Getting stuck with a bad frame means a frame-off resto job or worse: it can be so bad that, unless you found something rare and exceptional (like an L-88 car or something) you’d be better off just minimizing your losses and selling it for scrap. 30-50k for a professional, certifiable frame-off resto job? Not worth it on anything but a truly exceptional find. Just my 2 cents.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 180
Likes: 21
From: Chesterfield Mo
Your link does not work. Website is not found. Please check as I am interested in your 4 speed statistics. I didn’t think ther is a breakout anywhere of close vs wide ratios
Originally Posted by Bri-Guy
Hey Mike, Here is a wesite that gave me the production figures for 75'.
http://www.idavette.net/facts/75.htm
Originally Posted by Bri-Guy
Hey Mike, Here is a wesite that gave me the production figures for 75'.
http://www.idavette.net/facts/75.htm
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 805
Likes: 260
Okay, I'll speak in pretty general terms here. L82 4 speed cars are usually rarer and harder to find. Case in point, only about 1 in 9 1976 Vettes came with an L82 engine. Only 1 in 5 came with a 4 speed. Finding a 1976 L82 four speed that hasn't been abused is even rarer.
Yes, the L82 and L48 were pretty much dogs by todays standards, but keep in mind that you can change the rear gears to a lower ratio to give you a little more quickness.
I've owned 4 C4 cars or which 2 were L 48s and 1 was an L82. The other??? An '82 200hp crossfire.
Yes, the L82 and L48 were pretty much dogs by todays standards, but keep in mind that you can change the rear gears to a lower ratio to give you a little more quickness.
I've owned 4 C4 cars or which 2 were L 48s and 1 was an L82. The other??? An '82 200hp crossfire.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 2,786
Likes: 2,329
From: Central UT
[QUOTE=gsimon767;1606138121]Your link does not work. Website is not found. Please check as I am interested in your 4 speed statistics. I didn’t think ther is a breakout anywhere of close vs wide ratios
Hi, might not work because the post is over 12 years old, and that member's last activity was 12 years ago. This is a thread that won't die, as another member posted several years ago.
Hi, might not work because the post is over 12 years old, and that member's last activity was 12 years ago. This is a thread that won't die, as another member posted several years ago.
