Engine is on the truck for delivery. You should have it today. Please post driving impressions when you get it installed. Looking forward to the feedback on this build after it is in the car.

 

delivered just few hours ago. beautiful. it's a pity to use it ...
it will take a while to have the car running, unfortunately ( my mech is pretty busy and me too).will update asap

p.s. it seems that I'm the only italian that had an american engine purpose built in the US . yes , some crate engines arrived from the US, but not the same thing. proud of it. thanks kevin for having made this possible

 

new engine in. still need a couple of days to put everything back...

 

That is so COOL! You must be as excited as a kid on Christmas morning!
Enjoy your new toy!

 

Hi

it seems that I'm the only italian that had an american engine purpose built in the US

At least who made it public.

Looks great and I am sure it would be a challenge to compete with my std L71.

Wishing you all the fun you can take with this.

Rgds. Günther

 

 

Hi Aldo. Some oil info here.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ic-oils-4.html

 

elle88
You think you could ship that car to the states I will pick it up for you
take real good care of it, you can come visit drive it every once in awhile.

 

Yes, we can work something out....


the engine swap is completed. took a little more time due to some engine bay detailing ( easier with engine out ) , new headers, manual steering conversion from power ( hope it works . i had to modify the pulley arrangement ) and something else here and there. fire it up on monday. cross my fingers...

 

Agree,

 

I'm running the same solid lifter cam in my 3x2 bbl. original 427 BB (virgin block) for decades and it runs fine on the street....no problems....Sounds Nasty as well.....Just have to run 18 degrees initial timing and it loves it.......I also have 11:1 original compression with L88 Aluminum heads....

 

hey babbah , nice to hear your words about the cam behaviour. I hope to confirm your thoughts asap.

a couple of questions for you.

-since my main requirement for this engine has been dependability, how many miles you put on your cam and which oil?
we used EDM lifters (oiling hole on face) to reduce issues with possible cam failure.
the engine has still in the brad penn 20w50 ( see pics) used for the 18 dyno pulls. 63mako sayed to keep it for 200 miles ( 1 qt Wix oil filter too ).after these 200 miles, still undecided on which oil to pour in ( following all the related threads!)

-what about power brakes? are they working?of course i will check mine at first ride...

 

Hi

Sorry for the stupid questions now:

This is a solid rocker cam, isn't it ?
Do you trust the roller rocker's little roller pin to take this constant knocking ?

When I look at this thin pins and see the damage that happened to some of my previous original non roller rockers, I do have some bad feelings.

Any long term experience here ?

Elle, when your car is ready, I must make a trip to Italy .

Rgds. Günther

 

Hi Elle88 - I have been running this solid lifer cam (ZL1) and all of the components listed below in my motor since 1983 and have put a least 10-15K miles on it since. I run Crane Solid lifters, with Crane 7/16" (FAT) push rods with Manley 7/16 push rod guide plates with Norris Cams Full Stainless Steel Roller Rockers and poly-locks and very stout Crower Springs. I run tight lash as well with no issues whatsoever. My heads are the real L88 closed chamber heads from GM. 11:1 compression. (I have owned my 67 Vette since it was 6 months old!) I must admit this cam is a "bit much" for the street - it wants to be on a race track! But the sound is radical!!

My Vette originally came with the 435HP Solid lifter cam, it was too tame for me!! LOL!! So I went for the more nasty cam that actually is more radical then the original L88 cam.

After I installed this cam I had many other issues:
1. My vacuum at idle at 1000 RPM went from around 14 to 9 inches. I have power brakes and they did not work too well so I had to install a Cam Dynamics Vacuum reserve canister between the intake manifold source and power brake booster - That cured the problem and they work perfectly since. These days there are vacuum pumps that will provide the necessary vacuum to operate accessories for cars like yours that use vacuum for many things. 67's don't have all that vacuum mess that you have. If you are expecting more vacuum than 9 inches at idle you will be lucky......

2. I have 3x2 bbls carbs and had to replace the stock middle carb with a (Primary that runs the engine) with a Holley 500 CFM Model #4412 to get the motor to idle and run correctly. I also had to do many mods to the larger carb to get "things right" - to get the idle adjustment screws to actually work.... including holes in the throttle plates, larger jets and smaller power valve 5.0. I had to mill the carb body to fit between the outside and front carbs - you should not have this issue but the carb you are running will be too small for high RPM operation. I also machined special aluminum spacer plates under each carb to raise them.

3. Ignition Timing specs are very different to get these motors to idle properly and run cool - I run 18 degrees initial advance with 18 degrees mechanical advance with the MSD 8572 distributor. I also run a B28 vac advance can that adds 16 degrees vacuum advance at idle (no load) conditions which makes the motor run around 30 degrees cooler that without vacuum advance (Ask me how I know. I could never get this motor to run less than 210 degrees on a cool day. Now it runs at 180 all day long, even in the summer) The cam loves vacuum advance on the street.

4. As far as Oil goes, I was aware of the less zinc thing 5 years ago - I run Delo400 15-40 Diesel Oil, No Issues. Remember that I broke my cam in 27 years ago and at that time I used to Run Valvoline Oil. I broke it in with regular oil and GM EOS additive. My cam looks as good now as it did when I installed it.

5. Rocker Arms - IMO If you are planning to use those roller tip rockers pictured - I would not! I had them initially and they failed, near disaster - IMO they are not designed to handle the increased spring pressures that this cam requires. IMO - I would invest in a quality set of full roller rocker arms. The ones in your motor are designed for "bone stock" motors and not highly modified motors such as ours. - Beware!

I drive my Vette to car shows and put around 1500 miles on it per year. You can go to the Corvette Enthusiast Magazine Website and see my Vette in the July 2009 Issue starting on Page 74.
http://editions.amospublishing.com/K...spx?d=20090701
Good Luck with your big block!

 

Hi

Looks like if Norris Cams.com is out of business ?

Norris Barsumian of Norris Cams passed away(very sudden)10-12-08

I would be very interested in the full roller rockers, specially with your positive experience. Are they still available somewhere else ?

Rgds. Günther

 

Yes Norris Cams is long gone - I think the major cam manufacturers of today sell a similar type as I have - They are stainless steel FULL ROLLER rockers. 1.7 ratio. I selected the Norris Cam ones because they have huge trunnions with massive needle bearing assemblies supporting them. I've been running them for 30 years with no issues. You have to use thick valve cover gaskets if you are using the stock BBC Valve Covers - These rocker arms sit a bit higher then most, you will have same issue with the new ones from other suppliers. IMO they are "bullet proof".......

 

Wanted to adress a couple of the recent posts. Aldo wanted to use his stock valve covers. I recommended Comp Pro Magnum Or Crower full roller rockers but with the stock vave covers with drippers thought they may not clear. We ran across the Comp 1.72 ratio roller tips for $60 brand new. They are a quality rocker although not quite as good as the full rollers, would be a better option than the stock rockers supplied, more precise ratio, slightly more lift and good for this build. The Crower short poly locks fit under the valve covers as well. Aldo says operation above 6000 RPM would be rare if ever. Used Manley 3/8 hardened pushrods because it reduces the valvetrain weight which is always a concern on a solid cam big block. My machine shop guy recommended these and has used them sucessfully on many builds with heavier springs and more radical cams than this in his pulling truck engines that run 7500 RPM every time out with never a failure. This ZL1 cam is a modern grind with faster ramps and a much tighter lash than the older designs. The tight lash is a plus for valvetrain durability. We are running similar timing specs dialed in on the dyno. I seen Babbah's post on the B28 can and Napa no longer sells it. Availability was a problem and I didn't find one until after the motor shipped. (autozone has it) This can be added later if Aldo wants it. He sent me an Email saying it might be running today but it was raining so probably no test drive.

 

I forgot to mention that I had a custom set of BBC Valve covers made for me with no drippers decades ago and no wire brackets on the outside. They are perfectly smooth. I ran a non vacuum advance MSD #8571 and had horrible overheating issues. The #8572 Dizzy cured all that...This cam will rock your world........I would definitely suggest the full roller rockers on this mill......

 

Aldo has the #8572 dist. We used the stock wire brackets and ran Taylor wires through aftermarket red looms. (see above) Looks good and is fuctional. We were going to run vacuum advance and had many discussions on this. If Aldo has issues with overheating or cruise this is already on the list of solutions. GM didn't use vacuum advance on these but they were 12.5 to 1. At 11 to 1 it should work.

 

GM didn't run vacuum advance distributors on the L88 and ZL1's cause they were primarily used for racing and not street driving. The vacuum advance makes a huge difference in the way these modified motors behave and perform when they are street driven. Check out these very informative articles.....http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...long-post.html.