1979 corvette doesnt pass 90mph???????
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,943
Likes: 61
From: Southern NH
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 21,953
Likes: 1,445
From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
Ya, I hear what your saying about the 79's. Mine can only do about 90mph in second gear. So I have to shift to 3rd and it tops at at @ 128 mph. Then I have to shift again to 4th for driving up to @164 mph.
Fifth gear OD is just for freeway high speed cruising.
http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/gear_calculator.html
Fifth gear OD is just for freeway high speed cruising.
http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/gear_calculator.html
Last edited by gkull; Dec 17, 2012 at 12:44 PM.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
Thanks guys for the replies, I guess I was just looking to into it, I won't be able to take it out to double check the speed with a GPS do to the salt but I will look at everything that was mentioned. Thanks for your time guys greatly appreciated.
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Doesnt anyone read the previous post on here? I see stuff repeated over and over. If you want more power and rpms, rebuild the motor, use a kit you can buy off e bay for about 800 bucks, pistons, rods crank bearings ect, select a good cam, do some research! get bettween 9 and 10 to 1 compression, get a set of aluminium heads, e bay 700 bucks and bam you have a 350 to 400 hp motor. it will turn up to about 6000 rpm depending on your cam profile. If you are looking for fuel mileage then dont take this advice. I do all my own work except for machine work and have built 6 succesful sbc engines that have produced 350 to 450 hp. If you own a hotrod or corvette or any type of high performance vehicle I would hope you would learn to do you home work and be capable of at least knowing your car and how to build it to what you desire. Good luck to all
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,506
Likes: 139
From: Butler Pa
Doesnt anyone read the previous post on here? I see stuff repeated over and over. If you want more power and rpms, rebuild the motor, use a kit you can buy off e bay for about 800 bucks, pistons, rods crank bearings ect, select a good cam, do some research! get bettween 9 and 10 to 1 compression, get a set of aluminium heads, e bay 700 bucks and bam you have a 350 to 400 hp motor. it will turn up to about 6000 rpm depending on your cam profile. If you are looking for fuel mileage then dont take this advice. I do all my own work except for machine work and have built 6 succesful sbc engines that have produced 350 to 450 hp. If you own a hotrod or corvette or any type of high performance vehicle I would hope you would learn to do you home work and be capable of at least knowing your car and how to build it to what you desire. Good luck to all
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
I was just wondering if there is something wrong with my engine if it only goes 90mph then I am fine with it, but if there is I would like to know because if there is a simple fix then its ok, but something major I would just swap out the motor for the available one I have. I was just trying the simple things first before anything major. But if my motor has nothing wrong with it then its staying in there lol.
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
A good tune up never hurt anyone, follow the sevice manuall specs and do one, if it helps great and if it dont, then you at least know eveythings right. Im just talking from one who is into max performance for the street. I like when your at the stop light and you know your car can easly pull most cars on the road in most cases. my vett only had 80k on it when i bought it, the 180hp just wasnt going to do so i rebuit it to a 383 with aluminium heads a crane cam and 10-1 comp. and yes I run all my stuff hard so I prefer to know what it is and what its capable of, been doing it since i was about 15,learnd alot from old hotroders that i respected. sounds like your stock motor is at its limitations,good luck again. Bill.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,676
Likes: 201
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
Ya, I hear what your saying about the 79's. Mine can only do about 90mph in second gear. So I have to shift to 3rd and it tops at at @ 128 mph. Then I have to shift again to 4th for driving up to @164 mph.
Fifth gear OD is just for freeway high speed cruising.
http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/gear_calculator.html
Fifth gear OD is just for freeway high speed cruising.
http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/gear_calculator.html
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,570
Likes: 1
From: Algonac Michigan
I was just wondering if there is something wrong with my engine if it only goes 90mph then I am fine with it, but if there is I would like to know because if there is a simple fix then its ok, but something major I would just swap out the motor for the available one I have. I was just trying the simple things first before anything major. But if my motor has nothing wrong with it then its staying in there lol.
Why would you even consider swapping the engine just to sell a car that is running???
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,453
Likes: 67
From: Midland Ontario
NCM Sinkhole Donor
This is your EXACT problem.....gearing. Put 700 horsepower in it. You're still gonna get less than a hundred out of it with a 3 SPEED 350 auto and 3.73's.
First, get a proper tune-up. Post where you live, so maybe someone on the forum can help you out.
Second, if you want to keep it, you need an overdrive transmission. 700r4 or 200r4 auto, or go to a 5 speed with that rearend.
That's the reason Honda Civics have you on top-end.
These things brand new in 79 were lucky to top 125 mph......and that was with 3.55's. You're even taller.
Get a tranny.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,540
Likes: 51
From: Lexington Park Maryland
Instructor
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 195
Likes: 0
From: Bausman PA
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,376
Likes: 1,593
From: Western NY
I had a friend who had a '68 Olds 442. (this was back in '69-70) The car was stock, had 4:10 gears, and rather "short" tires, either F-70 or G70 14s. It was a rocket....all the way to 95 MPH, where you hit the redline in 4th gear, game over.