That '69 Z28 must have had four plug wires disconnected.

Out of a "hand-full" of cars that either I drove or rode in and scared the **** out of me, a '69 Z28 with a screamin' little 302, four speed was an incredible ride.

 

Doesn't that Z also weigh about 400 lbs less?

 

Exactamundo


L82 over a DZ302? lol

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ac6YvJ...ature=youtu.be

 

I have both. The Camaro beats the crap out of the '80 L-82 so.....

 

A quick Google search showed the "69 Z28 had trouble getting off the line according to road test. Even with a close ratio 4 speed and the E70s there was a noticeable stumble. 0-60 was 7.3 seconds. Quarter mile 14.8 sec at 103 mph. Rear gears suffered unless the customer ordered 4:11s.
The 302 was a screamer once the vehicle got going. And that was what it was designed to do, rally sport with under 305 cube rules.
Dyno test showed closer to 400 horse than what was advertised at 290.

(That was common to derate HP for cheaper insurance rates. Ford did it on its big "cammer". And Chrysler did also on the Hemi)

 

The '80 'Vettes were heavier, it's true, but they were factory under-rated in torque, which you need to move a heavier vehicle off the line, actual numbers were close to 500ft-lbs. Now I'm gonna hop in my '74 with Vortec heads and go finish smoking 500 lbs of crack, I hear there's an L-88 huntin' me down...

 

wrong !! The last of the true big block was 70 .. after that hp was depleted especially 72 base motor 200 hp .. 74 to 82 had ho of 195 that’s 5 hp less than the 72

 

let me say this.. I have owned many BB cars and I currently own 2 vette’s now a 70 350/350 and a base 75.. I will say I enjoy the 75 more. Is it fast absolutely not but who cares !!! I jump in her and can drive for hours and just cruise. Dont get me wrong I enjoy my 70 and it’s a “big block “ and fast but it’s extremely hot in the cabin and not a cruiser.. owning a Corvette is not about talking how fast your car is and bragging about that you own a big block… It is about driving your car and not looking at it in your garage… Most people that own big block cars don’t drive them more than 100 miles A YEAR and don’t drive over 40 miles an hour anyway. Just my opinion

 

The L82 was a good engine for the time. It was as good as, and in most cases much better, than other engines of the time period. I remember my friends Z28 from 78 or 79 (forget which year) with the base 350. Talk about a low compression engine in a 3800 lb + car, now that was a dog! Comparatively speaking, the L82 was a hot engine for the mid - late 70s..

 

Car I’m talking about is a stock 1969 Z/28 4 wheel disc car , 3.73 gears , console, cowl hood so not a light Z28 . Stock manifolds but added chambered exhaust , concourse under hood , owners not afraid to let it rip or rev it up but it’s a slug and the owner knows it.
Same owner has. Show room stock 65 4 speed GTO 389 but has added Tri Power but a Tri Power from what ever year used the bigger 2 barrels and it is the same result , it flat pulls away from the 302.
LT1 350 real world were 370 horsepower engines and 302 will be roughly 50 horsepower less because it’s 50 cubes smaller , stock verses stock .
Most magazines from that era had 1969 Boss 302 and Z/28 mid to high 15 second 1/4 mile times low 90’s mph show room stock and neither is in the top 50 fastest stock muscle car times , for comparison my 1980 L82 ran 15.19 at 92mph with a bad fan clutch (serious power robber) and will run be running high 14’s at 96mph next time out with a new fan clutch but in fairness I do have a Mr Gasket ignition curve kit AND a test pipe in place of the catalytic converter

1980 Corvette curb weight is 3205 with spare tire plus however much gas you put in it , 24 gallon max

 

What track do you race at?

How about this. I'll bring a 69 Z28, a 70 RA III Trans Am, and hell, I'll even bring a 79 403 Olds automatic powered Trans Am. We can line them up and put those Car and Driver numbers to the test. I can guarantee the outcome wont be in the Vettes favor.

 

Kilkare Xenia Ohio , if it’s a stock exhaust manifolds bring it on , I have another 80 L82 with headers and 64cc chamber aluminum heads that’s a bit quicker than the stocker

what’s the Ram Air III run ? My buddy’s 73 Super Duty TA ran 13.50 at 98 street tires and 13.20 103 with slicks . Don’t know what gear but T400 and bone stock 60k miles

 

There was a guy in our small town that had a new 1969 Z28 and these were the numbers he was getting. He thought it was fast until he ran up against a 1969 390 4 speed powered AMX that I later owned that took him to task. He later added headers and 4.56 gears but still never broke out of the 13s at the strip.

 

Grady White hit the nail on the head about these engines. And the purpose of Corvettes that are not in the "collector grade" classification. I guess that is what I was getting at when I started this thread. Maybe for a younger gear head that can't afford a rare Corvette but still wants to get involved. An L-82 four speed car is fun to drive. It is by no means the fastest car I have ever driven/owned/ridden in. But it is a great weekend cruiser for you and your best girl to ride back roads to the next town for lunch. And I think a lot more Corvette people need to get in their cars and do just that. They are fun! Don't just take them to a car show. Get them out and drive them.

 

Stock manifolds, intake, carb, exhaust system. Hell, I'll even put the stock polyglass tires on just for you.

 

haha! Now, I will be watching that **** all day long.

 

My 79 L-82 4 speed has headers, true duals with no smog, a bigger cam, but stock heads and stock bottom end. It pulls pretty good to the 6000 redline and i woudnt call it a dog. No, it wont outrun my buddies 66 L-79 Vette, but i bet with a good set of heads on mine i could, and my cost a lot less than his 66. (Yes, of course i'd rather have his 66!)

 

The 1980 L82 4-speed was certainly overlooked. If anyone finds one for sale, please let me know!

 

...that's sure changed over the years as it used to be a '54, then a '64, then a '68 for quite a few years, then a '75 and now an '84.

...funny thing is I was aware years ago of several people that had '84s with 200+k miles on them and thought they were a very reliable car. They are just another "one year only model" that people like to put down. I always liked '84s.

 

LOl , leave the modern rubber on it and bring your Corvette too. So no time slips for your cars ?