Engine compartments....stock look or slightly modified??
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
Engine compartments....stock look or slightly modified??
As I am planning my 383 build up, I am thinking of how to make the engine compartment look. I am not real big on all of the flashy chrome everything and steel braid 80s look. I am seriously contemplating on making it look stock, or at least as stock as possible. Obviously there will be some dead give aways like the ceramic coated headers, air gap intake and aluminum heads. I am not concerned with getting it "factory correct" looking but i am thinking I will put the factory ignition shielding on, hide the wires, run an LT1 drop base air cleaner and will have the factory AC compressor/brackets/alternator etc intact. I am kinda thinking about running LT1 valve covers(brushed aluminum ones with the cross flag emblems) although my car is not an LT1 car and will have the SB hood. I don't want to just stick cheesy chrome valve covers on it and I will have to run valve covers that will fit under the ac brackets. I guess I have kinda grown attached to factory looking engines that HAUL ***.
Its a fine line between originality and modified.. what are you hot rodders doing for engines? Here is my old stocker now:
Its a fine line between originality and modified.. what are you hot rodders doing for engines? Here is my old stocker now:
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
BTW, I do like these valve covers. Not stock but classy looking. Kinda goes away from my "almost stock" theme though.
Plus I don't think they will fit under my AC brackets.
Plus I don't think they will fit under my AC brackets.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 330
Likes: 3
From: Wellington, New Zealand
Your engine bay looks bloody nice and tidy to me! I am going to do the same thing as you, new modern engine with alloy heads etc but run stock air cleaner and keep a stock look to the engine bay.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,910
Likes: 962
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
A set of aluminum heads and aluminum manifold always looks good. I also like the looks (and lighter weight) of an aluminum water pump. The LT1 valve covers is a very good choice. The Corvette valve covers of the sixties and early seventies can't be beat, in my opinion. I've never been a big fan of chrome, but the chrome open element AC air filter lid just looks good on top of a Corvette engine. The chrome ignition shielding is a pain at times, but it certainly sets off a Corvette engine.
Just my opinions. Let us see some pictures when you're finished.
Just my opinions. Let us see some pictures when you're finished.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
Here is what I am thinking:
Orange block ofcourse
aluminum AFR heads
aluminum RPM air gap intake
aluminum water pump
ceramic headers
Factory LT1 chrome drop base air cleaner with the PCV hose hooked up and 350/270 hp sticker installed. lol
Factory ignition shielding(all new repro stuff)
Spark plug wires and other wiring and hoses hidden or ran like stock
All brackets and fan poweder coated semi-gloss black like stock.
I will have to change the tranny lines some as I am putting a big tranny cooler in it for my big a$$ stall converter.
Will be using my original TH400. My original #s matching engine in the pic above will be removed, boxed and stored in my shop.
I really like stock looking motors(like 632C2's) that haul ***. My car will run 11s but I think it would be cool to still fit in with the purists at car shows etc. Anyone can slap a bunch of chrome $hit on one, it takes a little more work to make it stock and classy. IMOP
Orange block ofcourse
aluminum AFR heads
aluminum RPM air gap intake
aluminum water pump
ceramic headers
Factory LT1 chrome drop base air cleaner with the PCV hose hooked up and 350/270 hp sticker installed. lol
Factory ignition shielding(all new repro stuff)
Spark plug wires and other wiring and hoses hidden or ran like stock
All brackets and fan poweder coated semi-gloss black like stock.
I will have to change the tranny lines some as I am putting a big tranny cooler in it for my big a$$ stall converter.
Will be using my original TH400. My original #s matching engine in the pic above will be removed, boxed and stored in my shop.
I really like stock looking motors(like 632C2's) that haul ***. My car will run 11s but I think it would be cool to still fit in with the purists at car shows etc. Anyone can slap a bunch of chrome $hit on one, it takes a little more work to make it stock and classy. IMOP
Racer
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 420
Likes: 11
From: tuttle ok
IMHO you are headed in the right direction. I like a little bling in a clean tidy compartment. The stock shielding is classy and keeps the compartment tidy. Never have cared for the wires running across the valve covers and to the plugs. Make sure and post some picks when you finish her up.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,780
Likes: 442
From: Southwest MI
i'd make it look like a 70-72 LT-1 as much as possible.
orange heads and block, LT-1 valve covers and air cleaner/sticker,
LT-1 hood, etc.
intake? i'd go with the biggest port 2 plane you can find that will fit under the hood, then tune the plenum divider for your cubes/rpm, and port match it to your heads
black painted headers
or actually? ....i'd go with a 496 BB
it'd be one fast "454" hehe
orange heads and block, LT-1 valve covers and air cleaner/sticker,
LT-1 hood, etc.
intake? i'd go with the biggest port 2 plane you can find that will fit under the hood, then tune the plenum divider for your cubes/rpm, and port match it to your heads
black painted headers
or actually? ....i'd go with a 496 BB
it'd be one fast "454" hehe
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
66 427, Thats the general idea but I don't really want to "copy cat" and LT1 car. I want to represent the base 270hp car that it is but I won't be putting orange valve covers on alumium heads etc. I will not sacrifice performance with say steel heads and exhaust manifolds, but i would like it to represent a basically "Warmed over" stock car that you would see back in the day. I thought about going with a 496" and doing a big block clone but... My car is a #s matching original an I like the conversation topics that come with an "original" car. Thats why I want it to appear like an upgraded stocker. The thought did also cross my mind about running Dart Iron eagles, fully worked. Then I could paint them orange but I really want the weight reduction of aluminum.
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Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,676
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From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
Whatever turns your crank, it's your car. I like the shiney stuff myself. As far as chrome being outdated 80's bling, chrome was a no no in the 80's and 90's for that matter, as everyone turned to polished aluminum. Now that they/we figured out how hard it is to keep polished aluminum shiney it's back to chrome in the past few years. That's why I leave my white lettering out on my tires, if it ain't in style now it will be shortly 
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,780
Likes: 442
From: Southwest MI
Originally Posted by ajrothm
.... The thought did also cross my mind about running Dart Iron eagles, fully worked. Then I could paint them orange but I really want the weight reduction of aluminum.
with nice alum heads, a fairly serious cam and a relititivly tight quench you can run 10.7, or maybe even a tad more, compression with pump gas, no problemo
good luck, i also like the "period correct" look..... and no more chrome than was available from GM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,456
Likes: 102
From: Piedmont Va
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13,'19-'20
i'd make it look like a 70-72 LT-1 as much as possible.
Stock early L-82 with aluminum intake and valve covers has the same affect. Polished Aluminum and Chevrolet Orange! Beautiful!
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 182
Likes: 0
From: Brentwood TN
I personally like the stock look - My 383 looks like a pretty stock L82 - only the trained eye will see the 1 inch spacer under the stock L82 valve covers required to clear the roller rockers or the Edelbrock intake painted orange
http://73corvetteproject.blogspot.com/
http://73corvetteproject.blogspot.com/
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
Motorhead, I think your engine looks awesome. I guess I do like chrome and polished and I am REALLY diggin the new billet and cast aluminum look. If I was building a street modified type of camaro or chevelle, nova etc..I would be all over it. But on my vette, I just like the originality behind it, I know the full history of the car and I would like to keep it correct as possible except with a couple hundred more HP. I am even going to stick with my original rally wheels. Hell my center caps are the originals from the factory.
WHen I was a kid, I wanted chrome valve covers SOOO bad. My first car was a 1970 SS 454 Monte Carlo. It was an LS5 that was all original and orange. I saved up a whole summer to buy the factory repro chrome valve covers and chrome air cleaner just to spice it up. Back then I would have killed to have a hot rod looking motor, now I want a stock one. lol Hell to get old I guess(I turn 30 next month)
WHen I was a kid, I wanted chrome valve covers SOOO bad. My first car was a 1970 SS 454 Monte Carlo. It was an LS5 that was all original and orange. I saved up a whole summer to buy the factory repro chrome valve covers and chrome air cleaner just to spice it up. Back then I would have killed to have a hot rod looking motor, now I want a stock one. lol Hell to get old I guess(I turn 30 next month)
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
Frank O Hara, you had to run a 1" spacer to clear the roller rockers?? Do you have a stud girdle or just the roller rockers? I think that would not fit under my AC brackets. BTW, I have a Performer intake on mine also painted orange. I had to sh*t can that stock cast iron boat anchor and wanted it to look stock so...out comes the krylon.
SO the LT1 and L82 valve covers are polished? crap I didn't know that. I know I don't want to be polishing them all the time, I thought they were just brushed aluminum...maybe the ones I see are just unpolished and dull.LOL
SO the LT1 and L82 valve covers are polished? crap I didn't know that. I know I don't want to be polishing them all the time, I thought they were just brushed aluminum...maybe the ones I see are just unpolished and dull.LOL
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5,403
Likes: 95
I notice when you look at the pictures of your engine the flat black headers do not stand out. The silver coated headers that most people get really stand out and draw the eye to them. If you were to have your headers coated flat black or semi gloss they would not look
like original manifolds but would not scream out I have headers.
like original manifolds but would not scream out I have headers.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
Originally Posted by Little Mouse
I notice when you look at the pictures of your engine the flat black headers do not stand out. The silver coated headers that most people get really stand out and draw the eye to them. If you were to have your headers coated flat black or semi gloss they would not look
like original manifolds but would not scream out I have headers.
like original manifolds but would not scream out I have headers.
Can you paint aluminum heads and it look good and not flake off? If I could paint the heads, I would probably paint the intake and the water pump also, then the only non stock looking thing would be the headers which is pretty common on restos today.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,676
Likes: 201
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
What would be really cool is to build a real sleeper, put in a 406ci, the one with the same amount of freeze plugs on the block. It would be internally balanced so there is no way you could tell it from a stock 350.
Get some big ol' 230cc Dart iron heads put in a nice roller cam. You could get 500HP and 500Tq out of it and no one would know it wasn't the original L82 or even better L48 Leave everything in the engine compartment stock and then phone up the TV show 'Pinks' and tell them you wanna race.
Get some big ol' 230cc Dart iron heads put in a nice roller cam. You could get 500HP and 500Tq out of it and no one would know it wasn't the original L82 or even better L48 Leave everything in the engine compartment stock and then phone up the TV show 'Pinks' and tell them you wanna race.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
Well I am still considering the T&L 408". Its a 350 block with a 4" stroke. He said its good for about 460-470hp but 520+lbs tq. Then I could run a little less converter and maybe like a 3.55 gear and it would have some strong bottom end. That should be enough to get it in the 11s and be a good street motor. I would like to break over 500hp. I asked him about a little more cam and fully porting the dart pro 1s on the 408" and he said he didn't think the block could handle that much HP swinging that much iron.
I don't really hear of anyone else building a 4" stroke 350 so maybe its not a good combo.
I don't really hear of anyone else building a 4" stroke 350 so maybe its not a good combo.