Hi all,
It's been a while, but I've missed my 70 L46 since the day I sold it. I was trying to solve "other" issues in my life and that was my first mistake!

Not ready to post pictures yet, but I have a deal on a 70 454 which I began chasing almost 10 years ago. I think it's a pretty nice find, but will have a lot of sorting to do for proper detailing. I don't know much about big blocks. What I have heard is they are hotter in the cabin, faster off the line, and tighter under the hood. I'll be kicking around the idea of detailing it for NCRS but having done that once I've got my doubts I'll have enough time and money toward that cause. Aiming first for a solid period correct driver. I'll post pics once the ink is dried.

 

Sounds great and I hope you didn't jinx yourself posting before the deal is done.
looking forward to those pic's and welcome back!

 

Go for the driver, you dont need blowhards in your life telling you your vette is second class because it had proper maintenance done over the years and the bolts have the wrong stamps at a ncrs event. You will have much more fun driving it, spinning the wheels unintentionally leaving a stop light quickly and just going to a cruise night or a car show just for fun, not looking for an award but just to enjoy cars. Most of the time I dont hang out for the awards ceremonies anymore. Most shows that are put on by car clubs give the awards to their members so its not worth the aggravation. Its a lot of fun just cruising with a few friends and stopping and chatting for a bit. It invites passer-bys to stop and chat and then you go to the next stop and chat some more . We do it at the beach and its a great time.

as for your questions about a big block, yes some cant change and others can be improved

1. the engine takes up the whole engine compartment...definitely.

Theres not much you can do other than getting rid of the stock fan shroud and clutch fan. Going electric will help with low speed cooling and will make it easier doing any belt replacements and any minor work on the front of the motor. Changing number 7 spark plug is easier dine from below if you have power brakes. The block is taller as well so a stock low profile intake is about all you can hope for unless you find a really low air cleaner base. Goiing to a L88 hood helps solve al lot of space issue on top as welll


2. THey are hotter...yes and no

They can be hotter if you are running performance parts and have the pipes under the body. But thats true for a strong small block as well. My 327 put out some strong heat as well with headers before I added ceramic headers and added insulation. Stock 69 style pipes can make this easily bearable as well as extensive insulation work. I have a bit of insulation under the carpet with ceramic headers and 69 pipes. Its not bad on cool days but on hot days my feet are very warm but not hot. Wearing sandles make it more than bearable. AC would be a good solution even with a convertible just to get cool air on my feet. But my feet are hot enough all the time that I can stand in the snow barefoot and not be bothered....spent a lifetime in ski boots but thats a different story.
Under hood heat can be mitigated with driving with the hood unlatched on very hot days as well. If you add a L88 hood which is a good idea just for the extra room, you wont feel bad adding vents so it for heat to escape. Lots of folks here are doing it. There are very advanced thin heat shileding product you can add under a thin carpet that will reflect heat away as well.


3. Faster off the line
That is a factor of torque. stock small block versus stock big block with the same gearing, yes the big block will be faster because of engine torque. But changing the rear gears can make that even. Its torque multiplication so lower rear gearing in a small block can beat the big block for a short distance. Lower gearing which is a higher gear number, ie 4.11 verus 3.55:1, the 4.11 will be faster off the line but the 3.55 will have a higher top end number given the same rpm. This is where you have to make decisions. stock big block gears are relatively high...3.08, 3.36, maybe lower gears if special ordered. The stock gears will give you gas mileage but not usually the excitement off the line. Find out what you have when you buy the car, drive it a while then decide on that factor. IF you arent doing a lot of highway driving you might like a 3.55 or a 3.70 gearing for quickness and just being loud and obnoxious with tire smoke and such. I would suggest 3.70 to 4.11 with a TKX 5 speed if you do all of the above while driving. It will give you all the immature fun of burnouts, quickness off the line and 1/4 mile racing and great highway manners. Plus the TKX shifts like a modern car versus the hard clunking of the old 4 speeds....it really is amazing and worth it.

A plus on torque multiplication. You can run a stock power motor and get more fun out of it without dropping a lot on a high horsepower motor that may not be reliable. lower gear ratios in the rear and a deep first gear bring the motor rpm up higher to get more into the meat of your torque curve so it will act like a more powerful engine. That added with proper performance tuning will bring most stock motor to life, plus you get high speed highway cruising without the loud rpm from the motor. This is how I would get the car to improve its performance. Then if you need you can build the engine up for higher horsepower afterward. Its cheaper this way and its more usable this way. The high performance motor will easily cost double the new tranny cost with a used good condition rear end if you do the labor yourself

 

I agree with all of the above. Strongly consider adding Vintage Air, especially in Miami. I am up the road in Tampa and with the heat, humidity and summer afternoon storms, AC makes the car so much more comfortable to drive in the spring, summer and fall. Lastly, we need some pictures. Good luck with your acquisition. Jerry

 

Funny you should mention the L88 hood! Put down my deposit today and planning to close this week. Here's a preview.

Planning to change very little to start. I want to keep it as a driver for the reasons you list. I did flight judging with my L46 car and while it was fun and I learned a lot I'm not really interested in buying a bunch of parts=points. If I can find the original carb I'll get that back on her. I suspect it is in the parts bins with the long time owner. One of the first things is to get it back to stock ride height. This is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to C3s. It's got the close ration gear box which will also be new to me. Can't wait to drive it! I checked this car out pretty closely about 8 years ago but more importantly got to know the owner. It's been cared for and driven like it should be. Had a blower on it at one time.

 

Not sure I will bring this one to Miami. For sure if I do it will get AC.

 

Wow she's a beauty!!! If you get the carb, send it to Lars for a good rebuild. Lots of potential and summer is just starting. Keep this thread going and keep updating it. I finally started doing that and wish I had started out that way. Ant specific questions I need more eyes on I ask in a seperate thread but add a link in my original thread. It also makes it easy to track parts, improvements and changes. Plus we get to follow along . It's more fun than watching Real Housewives or the Kardashians....Lol!!!

 

I spent a couple days with my new 454 and boy I was in for a few surprises. It was a long time since I checked the car over and my memory of it was just a little optimistic. I did manage to find the tank sticker is still in place, the birdcage looks solid (comments welcomed), and the interior is not too badly worn. I will need a new frame for the hatch doors and one seat cover needs repair. I plan to "rotate" the seats as the 70 without shoulder harness is an exact match driver to passenger. Currently it is in the shop for mechanical issues. I'm having the original intake replaced along with exhaust manifolds and valve covers. Engine should look and run a lot better in a few weeks.

 

looks great, barely any surface rust. That can be treated wand sealed chemically

 

I'd like to know more about doing that. I used something inside the frame of my 64. Probably the same process? Can you get up into the windshield frame that way?

 

EAston makes a product and has a longstanding to spray it up in there. If you have t tops you can pull the molding and you may be able to get access from the top...not sure

 

The birdcage looks to be in very good shape. I've never seen one with no surface rust. Most of them do not sit out in the rain or drive in the snow anymore, so they hold up better.
My birdcage is green zinc phosphate and I was at West Marine and they have Green Zinc Phosphate spray paint and I bought a can so that if I ever remove the kick panels again I will do some spray painting.
A big block with definitely get warm in the interior, but if you don't have AC, you have vents that will let a lot of outside air in by your feet. Also if you don't have AC the passenger side of your engine will be much easier to work on.
My 69 3x2 with AC fills up the entire passenger side with compressors, hoses and a huge box that contains the evaporator. Getting to the spark plugs is lots of fun. I do plugs 2 and 4 from the wheel well with the wheel taken off.
I love the AC on hot days and luckily my car never overheats (I probably just jinxed myself) but if you don't have the AC running you hardly get any air through the vent system.
Mine is a coupe and I usually keep the windows down and the back window out to try get enough air though the car.

 

I’ve got my car out of the shop where I had some old school mods reversed. The L88 is gone and we’re back to the LS5 (not an engine swap - it is still the original engine). Gone are the high rise intake and double pump Holley and headers. It’s a stock configuration albeit with some unknown cam.

A few ongoing issues:

1) there is some shudder or grind coming from the rear end upon start from a stop. Only under the pressure of a start am I feeling this basically right behind the driver seat.

2) the rear end ratio is set up for racing. I’m guessing it’s a 3.70 gear but have not had a chance to verify. At 60 mph I’m at 3000 rpm with 225-70R15 tires. I need to look up the calculators on that. I would prefer a more conservative ratio.

I also still have an extra leaf in my rear spring which has the back end sitting too high but when we address the ratio I suspect this and the grinding sound will be corrected.

I will be taking a good long drive tomorrow so wish me luck. It’s going to be a super nice day and I’ll be taking it easy. Last on the road in 2003.

 

Keep us updated on the test drive...we won't object to a few pics either.

 

Congrats on your find! I’m sure you are having trouble sleeping at night, thinking about all you will do with it, as I am currently in a similar situation.

 

Well the initial drive didn’t go smoothly. The worn out hurst competition shifter got itself stuck in first and the rear end is grinding enough I had to have it towed back to the shop. I’m going to need a stock shifter and a new gear set as I want a good highway gear. Not planning any drag racing although that may have been fun. It will be several weeks before I see it again. Oh and there are coolant leaks of course

 

Hopefully that leak is a bad hose or a leaking cap. The rear gear of 3.70 is a good gear but if you want the lower rpm a 3.55 or a 3.36 would do. A stout big block should handle it with big block torque.

If your rear is making noise inside the differential it usually can be corrected with new posi slip additive, 2 bottle clears up most noises that arent actual broken teeth. The grinding could also be from bad u Joints. If they have been sitting for 21 years it wouldnt be surprising that they seized. A slapping or knocking sound on acceleration or deceleration could also be the rear pinion snubber. They wear out or dry out and crumble over the years.

the hanging bolts that are on the end of the springs will raise or lower the rear end

 

I agree, and could possibly be talked out of new gears and get some extended bolts for the spring adjustment. The sound to me indicated the gears were the source.

I'm pretty sure I need a radiator recore. One drip was right beneath the center of the rad. The car handles pretty good though! Better than I recall of my L46. Stiffer spring perhaps?

 

probably the stiffer springs. I have VBP springs with adjustable spring rate and keep them pretty stiff. They arent very rough with new Bilstiens. Too bad your radiator might be shot...sometimes its cheaper to get a new Champion radiator than recore the old one

 

I think somebody recently mentioned the BB cars have better F/R weight distribution thanks to the heavier engine. And speaking to weight, a Champion aluminum rad would probably come in lighter than the old brass unit.