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L82 Engine Question

Old Aug 2, 2009 | 06:13 PM
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Default L82 Engine Question

Hello,
I stumbled acrossed a thread on this forum that said that L82's have dual snorkel air intake system, I apologize for not replying on that thread since I couldnt find it.

my question is, my car is a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette L82 Pace Car, the vins matched, but my car only has one snorkel?
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 06:55 PM
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I owned a '78 L82...dual snorkel is correct. The L48 came with a single snorkel. Later model years went to the dual snorkel in base L48's as well as it provided a bump in rated horsepower.

If your Pace Car L82 came with a single snorkel, and you can document that, then it's correct, though an anomaly. Any chance it's been changed from dual to single in the past? Are the markings on the engine identify it as a genuine L82?

Also...does it have the black ribbed valve covers or Corporate Blue painted valve covers? The black ribbed (aluminum or magnesium) is L82 equipment. Painted valve covers are L48.
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 07:02 PM
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Default hmm

hmmm Im going to double check the vin, maybe i read it wrong..
heres a picture of the engine bay..

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v1...t=102_2417.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v1...t=102_2404.jpg
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 07:06 PM
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 08:04 PM
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Valve covers are L-82. And if the air cleaner was changed, it looks like it was done a long long time ago.........
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 09:27 PM
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5th digit of the vin a "4"? On the tach it should say L82 in small letters. Intake manifold should be aluminum not cast iron. Check it with a magnet. All '78 engines and oil pans where painted blue. Did you check the block # against the vin. Look in front of passenger side valve cover. Engine may have been pulled.
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Old Aug 3, 2009 | 06:45 PM
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Default hmm

car is currently at my parents house so i'll check the vin when i go back this weekend.

i was reading somewhere that 78 pace cars werent legal in california?
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Old Aug 3, 2009 | 07:16 PM
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Originally Posted by jaycall88
car is currently at my parents house so i'll check the vin when i go back this weekend.

i was reading somewhere that 78 pace cars werent legal in california?
L82 versions certainly wouldnt have been, I have seen nothing indication that all Pace cars were not sold in Ca.

In your case its certainly possible a previous owner replaced the dual snorkle with a single for some obscure reason, its also possible said previous owner added all the L-82 componants other than the snorkle.

Only your Vin will verify if the car was originally equipped with the L-82, you can usually rely on teh stamped portion of the engine block to verify what the engine is, but it is possible to falsify this area.. I would say thats probably relatively rare, at least on a 78 which L-82 or not, isnt really all that valuable.

Looking at the pictures, the valve covers appear to be natural aluminum, unlike earlier years, 78 L-82's had black painted aluminum valve covers. there appears to be a hint of corrosion on the blue painted intake manifold which as mentioned before would be aluminum on a L82 car. On my car the manifold was painted silver but I cannot attest if that is original or not.

the following is a shot of the black valve covers and intake


Last edited by fauxrs2; Aug 3, 2009 at 07:29 PM.
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Old Aug 7, 2009 | 05:30 PM
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Default hmm confusing

hmm i asked my sister to take a look at the car its very odd..

Tachometer doesn't say L82 on it.
Paint job is L82
It has Pace car stickers.
Interior is the cream color for L82
It has all the exterior emblems.
It doesn't have dual snorkels

Hopefully wen i look for the VIN number again it should really explain whats going on.

kinda confusing to me if someone really went through all that work to convert a regular corvette into a pace car. when they couldve just gotten a pace car from the first place.


Where are places on the car that I can get the VIN Number from?
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Old Aug 7, 2009 | 05:59 PM
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You can find your vin about half way down the drivers side windshield pillar
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Old Aug 8, 2009 | 12:14 AM
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What is "the L82 paint job" and "interior cream color for L82"?
Pace Car interior is SILVER.
Seems most guys that don't know for sure if they have an original L82....don't.
The lack of badging on the base L48 makes for some hopefull thinking.
No 'L82' on the tach and the single snorkle are additional givaways if you don't check the VIN.
Any L82 emblems on the hood?
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Old Aug 8, 2009 | 02:08 AM
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Default hmm

Turns out that my car is a

1978 L48 Corvette...

I missread the Vin Number when i decoded it the first time.


i missread "L8S" as L82.. stupid mistake to assume thats what it said.

heres a photo album of pictures of the vett.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v1...0d3z/corvette/

Last edited by jaycall88; Aug 8, 2009 at 02:54 AM.
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Old Aug 8, 2009 | 03:02 PM
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There were L-48 Pace Cars. If the eighth digit on the VIN is "9" you have one. If it is "4" then no.
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Old Aug 8, 2009 | 03:40 PM
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yeah eight digit isnt a 9.. its a 4
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Old Aug 8, 2009 | 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by jaycall88
yeah eight digit isnt a 9.. its a 4
OK, it is not a Pace Car.
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