Engine upgrade
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Engine upgrade
Hello,
I love my 1973 corvette, i love the look but the stock engine just doesn't seem to satisfy my need for speed, i was wondering is it better to simply upgrade the engine or is there a better engine to replace the one it has and if so, which would you recommend me?
I love my 1973 corvette, i love the look but the stock engine just doesn't seem to satisfy my need for speed, i was wondering is it better to simply upgrade the engine or is there a better engine to replace the one it has and if so, which would you recommend me?
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,716
Likes: 279
From: New York
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,241
Likes: 4
From: Okinawa Okinawa
Is your car numbers matching? If so, it may steer you in a direction of a crate motor and keeping the old engine for the numbers to match later.
Like rcread asked, what is your budget? 502ZZ blown crate motor or a few upgrades to your current engine for a couple hundred dollars? Figure out what you want with the car first then save your money and get what you want the first time so you don't keep adding one or two things at a time.
Like rcread asked, what is your budget? 502ZZ blown crate motor or a few upgrades to your current engine for a couple hundred dollars? Figure out what you want with the car first then save your money and get what you want the first time so you don't keep adding one or two things at a time.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Well at fist i was thinking of just investing 5k but i want some serious HP so i might go up to 10k , i haven't checked the numbers yet i'm still not working on it, i'm just getting advice for when i start the project, is this too much to invest?, and mike i know but i just love the sound of pure muscle when i drive down the block and well i like to have the HP in case some Ford driver tries to act tough.....
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
If the brakes and suspension are tired, you may want to split your dollars between a strong engine and some much-needed love to the chassis, suspension and brakes - including wheels/tires to get the power to the ground. Nothing worse than a 'Vette with more power than it can use.
I agree completely with the two suggestions above - a good tune with carb overhaul can bring a lot of power and driveability back...and if you're going extreme, you probably want to set that numbers-matching engine aside. I don't think dropping in an LT1 would be a good plan ;-)
It's easy to toss out big numbers...until they're on a bill...so think carefully about how much you really want to spend in one go.
I agree completely with the two suggestions above - a good tune with carb overhaul can bring a lot of power and driveability back...and if you're going extreme, you probably want to set that numbers-matching engine aside. I don't think dropping in an LT1 would be a good plan ;-)
It's easy to toss out big numbers...until they're on a bill...so think carefully about how much you really want to spend in one go.
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Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Right now i have a stage 4 suspension kit here are the specs:
360 pound Composite Rear Monospring Kit
550 pound Performance Front Coil Spring Kit
1" diameter Front Sway Bar Kit
.750" diameter Rear Sway Bar Kit
Bilstein Heavy Duty Gas Shocks
Heavy Duty Strut Rods
Heavy Duty Tie Rod Tubes
Polyurethane Upper and Lower Control Arm Bushings
is this good?
For the brakes my dad said he would get Centric Premium High Carbon Brake Rotors that these would fit perfect
It has the original chassis don't see any tampering with it we checked it for any corrosion or rust and it seems clear of both, should i still upgrade that too?
360 pound Composite Rear Monospring Kit
550 pound Performance Front Coil Spring Kit
1" diameter Front Sway Bar Kit
.750" diameter Rear Sway Bar Kit
Bilstein Heavy Duty Gas Shocks
Heavy Duty Strut Rods
Heavy Duty Tie Rod Tubes
Polyurethane Upper and Lower Control Arm Bushings
is this good?
For the brakes my dad said he would get Centric Premium High Carbon Brake Rotors that these would fit perfect
It has the original chassis don't see any tampering with it we checked it for any corrosion or rust and it seems clear of both, should i still upgrade that too?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 822
Likes: 82
From: Columbus OH
Welcome to the forum. You have come to a great place to ask questions and get some answers. Just know for future posts, the more information you share, the better people can respond. For instance, one of my first questions was... is this an auto or a 4 speed? Or does it already have a 5 speed in it?
There are a lot of great things about the older Corvettes. And when setup properly even with stock equipment, it can run, stop, and handle very nicely. Maybe not like a modern car with all the electronic helpers, but still be very responsive.
Carbon brake rotors? Sure, sounds great, but I would think unless you are going to do some track time that it isn't needed. But it is your Corvette and you can do what you want with it. That is the best part, you can customize it however you want and enjoy it.
Do some homework, ask some questions like you are, and then choose a path to go down.
And while you are at it, throw some pictures up here so we can see another 73'!
There are a lot of great things about the older Corvettes. And when setup properly even with stock equipment, it can run, stop, and handle very nicely. Maybe not like a modern car with all the electronic helpers, but still be very responsive.
Carbon brake rotors? Sure, sounds great, but I would think unless you are going to do some track time that it isn't needed. But it is your Corvette and you can do what you want with it. That is the best part, you can customize it however you want and enjoy it.
Do some homework, ask some questions like you are, and then choose a path to go down.
And while you are at it, throw some pictures up here so we can see another 73'!
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,736
Likes: 56
From: anchorage ak
Right now i have a stage 4 suspension kit here are the specs:
360 pound Composite Rear Monospring Kit
550 pound Performance Front Coil Spring Kit
1" diameter Front Sway Bar Kit
.750" diameter Rear Sway Bar Kit
Bilstein Heavy Duty Gas Shocks
Heavy Duty Strut Rods
Heavy Duty Tie Rod Tubes
Polyurethane Upper and Lower Control Arm Bushings
is this good?
For the brakes my dad said he would get Centric Premium High Carbon Brake Rotors that these would fit perfect
It has the original chassis don't see any tampering with it we checked it for any corrosion or rust and it seems clear of both, should i still upgrade that too?
360 pound Composite Rear Monospring Kit
550 pound Performance Front Coil Spring Kit
1" diameter Front Sway Bar Kit
.750" diameter Rear Sway Bar Kit
Bilstein Heavy Duty Gas Shocks
Heavy Duty Strut Rods
Heavy Duty Tie Rod Tubes
Polyurethane Upper and Lower Control Arm Bushings
is this good?
For the brakes my dad said he would get Centric Premium High Carbon Brake Rotors that these would fit perfect
It has the original chassis don't see any tampering with it we checked it for any corrosion or rust and it seems clear of both, should i still upgrade that too?
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
So should i keep the current chassis and just get a crate engine?
And well i didn't worry about the brakes my dad said he would hook me up and well i'll take his advice too just like i do with everyone here.....
and i'm not doing it to impress a ford driver mike, i want this car, it's my dream car and i don't mind the money, that comes and goes just a matter of what you spend it on to make you happy, i wouldn't mind having the HP to shut some mouths ups, prove em wrong that classics can make today's trucks eat dust..... but hey that's just me idk about you guys.....
And well i didn't worry about the brakes my dad said he would hook me up and well i'll take his advice too just like i do with everyone here.....
and i'm not doing it to impress a ford driver mike, i want this car, it's my dream car and i don't mind the money, that comes and goes just a matter of what you spend it on to make you happy, i wouldn't mind having the HP to shut some mouths ups, prove em wrong that classics can make today's trucks eat dust..... but hey that's just me idk about you guys.....
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
The suspension upgrades sound great - what do you have for wheels and tires?
An auto definitely restricts your choices to some extent, but in the end you have to decide what you want - a nice daily driver with oomph? Hard-core machine with tons of power, but maybe sacrificing drivability? Make sure you don't overbuild, but it can suck just as much to make less power than you want.
I get my *** kicked for comment like this, but most folks are pretty happy with something making between 1 - 1.2 HP/CID. Much more than that and the price goes up pretty quickly as do the other requirements, and the car becomes a bit more of a challenge on the street.
An auto definitely restricts your choices to some extent, but in the end you have to decide what you want - a nice daily driver with oomph? Hard-core machine with tons of power, but maybe sacrificing drivability? Make sure you don't overbuild, but it can suck just as much to make less power than you want.
I get my *** kicked for comment like this, but most folks are pretty happy with something making between 1 - 1.2 HP/CID. Much more than that and the price goes up pretty quickly as do the other requirements, and the car becomes a bit more of a challenge on the street.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 13,017
Likes: 2,261
From: Corsicana, Tx
2020 C2 of the Year - Modified Winner
2020 Corvette of the Year (performance mods)
C2 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
2017 C2 of Year Finalist
350=420 HP
400=480 HP
427=512 HP
454=545 HP
496=595 HP
540=648 HP
Or in sick cases like me...build a 555" with 1.57HP per cube (871HP) and now I'm adding a couple of turbos to wake it up!!
Sounds like you're going to have a killer car. I build my own stuff, but if I was shopping for a "real" motor with some power, I'd steer away from the typical crate motor and have one built by one of the good engine shops. I know several that can do excellent engines for similar prices with much higher quality of parts and machine work...as well as much more power. Just depends on what you'd like to do with it.
JIM
Last edited by 427Hotrod; Oct 25, 2013 at 05:48 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
That's why I tend to talk about HP/CID vs. HP...because it gives a much better picture of what the engine will be like to drive.