motor transplant
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
motor transplant
Hi. I am wanting to buy a 1980 corvette but don't want the stock 350. What is the best and biggest motor I could put into this car? Keep in mind I will ave the stock tranny for a while until I upgrade that too.
Thanks, Jarred.
Thanks, Jarred.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
I'm a little biased but I'd recommend a LS motor. You can pick up a LS7 for probably twice what you will pay for the car.
If you keep the stock trans you will probably want to stick with a 350 of some variety for now. A stock LS1 would work with the stock trans.
Rick B.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
What are your intentions with the car. Are you going to use it as a daily driver, weekend car or race car. What is your budget? Don't just go for the biggest and baddest. Have a plan on what you want from the car and go from there.
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: Clayton North Carolina
As all have said, it depends on your overall plans. If you plan on leaving the rear end and tranny alone, i would throw in a ZZ4 motor. It's 350 w/355hp. It works well with the original setup and you can get a turnkey motor for about $4200.00
I am currently doing a body on resto mod to my 81 and am throwing one in there.
I am currently doing a body on resto mod to my 81 and am throwing one in there.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,175
Likes: 86
From: State of Confusion
remember to build around your 'weakest-link', as there is no reason to put a fuel-burning Hemi in front of a wimpy 350-C transmission, or an aluminum Dada-44 rear-end.....
..... unless you just wanna 'say you did it', for bragging purposes.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
that is all good advice, and no I don't have the car yet. My intention with the car is not a daily drive but to cruise around on nice days and MAYBE go to the track once or twice a summer..
I am not wanting to be the biggest or the baddest, just don't wanna get licked by some mazda 3 that my friends have. My budget is about 15-20k after purchasue of the car.
I have another option of getting a car with a 427 motor and 400 tranny already in it. Would that be the way to go and bypass htis whole motor transplant thing??
Jarred.
I am not wanting to be the biggest or the baddest, just don't wanna get licked by some mazda 3 that my friends have. My budget is about 15-20k after purchasue of the car.
I have another option of getting a car with a 427 motor and 400 tranny already in it. Would that be the way to go and bypass htis whole motor transplant thing??
Jarred.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 15,161
Likes: 17
From: coffee
If you are not worried about the interior/exterior/paint, and all you want to do is make a 1980 Corvette go fast, $15K will buy you reliably deep in to the 12's. As mentioned above, the weak link on the later C3's is the aluminum rear end, but it will hold a fair amount of power if you do not hammer it off the line. A GMPP ZZ383 crate motor can be had for ~$5K, figure another $1500 for a fuel and spark system to handle it, and maybe another $1500 in the transmission, and if tuned correctly, you will have one really fast car. If you want to go faster, it's just a matter of money.
I'm hoping that you are referring to being able to beat the turbo'd Mazdaspeed 3, as surpassing the normally aspirated version is not much of a performance goal.
I'm hoping that you are referring to being able to beat the turbo'd Mazdaspeed 3, as surpassing the normally aspirated version is not much of a performance goal.
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Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,562
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
that is all good advice, and no I don't have the car yet. My intention with the car is not a daily drive but to cruise around on nice days and MAYBE go to the track once or twice a summer..
I am not wanting to be the biggest or the baddest, just don't wanna get licked by some mazda 3 that my friends have. My budget is about 15-20k after purchasue of the car.
I have another option of getting a car with a 427 motor and 400 tranny already in it. Would that be the way to go and bypass htis whole motor transplant thing??
Jarred.
I am not wanting to be the biggest or the baddest, just don't wanna get licked by some mazda 3 that my friends have. My budget is about 15-20k after purchasue of the car.
I have another option of getting a car with a 427 motor and 400 tranny already in it. Would that be the way to go and bypass htis whole motor transplant thing??
Jarred.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,720
Likes: 12
From: Chattanooga TN
Assuming you mean a fuel injection swap, Tuned Port on your stock bottom end will really wake it up. If you did a cam swap too it would be even better.
Next step up, TPI from a 89-91 C4 with aluminum heads and hypereutectic pistons.
Next step late LT1-but you need all the pulleys and brackets
Next step up LSx swap
Next step up, TPI from a 89-91 C4 with aluminum heads and hypereutectic pistons.
Next step late LT1-but you need all the pulleys and brackets
Next step up LSx swap
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,970
Likes: 45
From: Cameron Park CA