This might be the dumbest ? Ever but here goes. Recently bought beautiful Monza red 69 , frame off restored in great shape Looks, runs and drives beautifully but...the 550 hp 454 with aluminum heads is not really what I expected. Should have thought of that before the payment, I know. Lol Really love the car. Any suggestions on making it more of a weekend cruiser than a racer. I was ok with it until I read about all the problems with heat issues, unburned fuel if not driven as the build was intended ect. Also I found a receipt where the air filter had previously caught fire and melted a belt. There are so many good things about the car, all new bushings, brakes, calipers, trim seals ect to name a few. Would a stock big block change the heat problem or no? By heat problem I mean the not being able to run for long periods type thing. Maybe I misunderstood but from what I have read on some of the forum posts it does not sound like this car is a good choice for a nice drive down Route 66. I would consider an engine change out if it would mean the car was more useful to someone who does not want to race or show it. It is my understanding that a small block is a no go unless you change tranny also.

 

A 550hp 454 could be a mild build or a wild build depending on how it was done.

The fact that the air filter caught fire and melted something (well, a belt sounds weird) suggests that you're likely in need of some tuning.

I have a 450 hp 400 small block with aluminum heads and it's a baby. There were plenty of motors built 15 years ago making less horsepower would run fairly rough compared to this.

You'll definitely want to learn more about the components in the build, it's possible some tuning and maybe a milder camshaft could make it more agreeable to you, although it really depends on what parts are in it.

How much are you willing to learn about how the engine's put together? Do you have a digital camera and the ability to share photos?

Assuming from your handle, you're in OK?

 

Yes I am in Oklahoma. So far I am thinking it was a wild build. lol The story we have is that the guy that rebuilt it blew up the 427 at the race track and then rebuilt. Supposedly he was a mechanic, the engine only has 1000 miles and based on the power and the way it runs I believe that is probably true. I do have the ability to send pics but had trouble yesterday trying to post profile pic so I may have to get off of IPad and on desktop to resize pics. I would love the advice , thank you for your reply. I assume I would send pics in forum message or do I need to send in PM or ? . I will try this image for now and see what happens.

 

Actually I described the belt problem incorrectly, according to the receipt they replaced the belt because it melted onto the belt not melted the belt.

 

 

Sounds like it may have just had a slipping belt or stuck needle and seat
Like said 550 is mildish, do some fine tuning and enjoy. If it gets warm like a lot of big blocks do get a better cooling system. Going back to stock youll hate it.
I have what some would consider to be a borderline race engine and it has the same manners as a stocker with a teeny cam.
An AEM 02 sensor kit can do wonders getting there.

 

The car has not over heated but we have not driven it for long periods, gauges all look good assuming they are correct. I would have thought everything was great until I read many posts about over heating problems when running them for a long distance . Maybe I should just quit fretting and go for a ride. Ha Seriously tho I am very interested in knowing what we have and what we should do with it. You will all be proud to know that I am aware that regardless of what the console says or the engine stamp I am fully aware that it is not a L88 lol It was sold to us as an L88 tribute and I am fine with that, it is a beautiful car. I just wanted to cruise around some and not break the bank in order to do so.

 

She does put off some heat that is for sure. He keeps telling me "it is a big block" that is what they do. So again maybe just go ride and quit worrying over what has not happened.

 

I will look into the sensor kit. Thank you

 

And she is beautiful.

 

Pretty much every Corvette I've owned has gotten hot, even my C6 Z06 would get warm in the tunnel on a long trip.

I put the foam collar between the bellhousing and transmission tunnel on the body on my 78 a year or two ago and that helped a lot. Keeps hot engine air from getting into that area. Another thing to look at it insulating the underside of the tunnel itself as well as the floorboards inside the car.

We can learn a little bit about the build if we knew what heads you had and also which intake you're running.

What driveability issues are you chasing right now?

BTW, it's a beautiful car.

 

Thank you! Well this is an embarrassing confession but no drivability issues yet I just don't want to create them by no knowing more about the proper use and I love her also so do not want to harm her. We were thinking of going to Eureka Springs for instance, 4 hour drive some mountains. We haven't had much chance to drive it either, we have a construction company and are extremely busy right now (that is a good thing to support our habits lol) . I just got nervous after reading a lot of posts about the heat, and overheating along with the receipt for air filter melting and the FiRE extinguisher that came with it LOL Hubby isn't concerned , go figure. I still would love to know more about it. We will be talking to the guy we bought it from soon (he had the vacuum pump for the windshield wiper louver ordered and will call us when it arrives). He had a lot of info , like bore and stoke ect, I think that was 12 to 1 . I will write it all we we hear from him. He had a lot of info but did say he is not a mechanic. We stopped to talk to the mechanic he has been using and he said " it is a great car but you probably won't want to just cruise around in it. Of course that statement added to my anxiety, I should have ask him what he meant by that Dan said he was referring to the vette set club because he is a member. We probably are way too noisy for that. We are hoping to take it out for a spin later today. :thumbs

 

I would love to see more photos of your beautiful 'vette. What I have seen looks really impressive.
If it were me, I would go drive it! I would start on shorter trips and monitor things. go on longer trips until you have any bugs worked out or feel comfortable that all is well.
As far as the fire extinguisher; I would not be concerned about that. I have one in my car and really think everyone should. There are some shows that require you have one and put it on the ground in front of your car.
Congrats! Beautiful ride!

 

If that car has 12 to 1 compression your not going to find gas at every corner for it. You may need to mill of some off the piston domes and may want a milder cam.
Big block vettes get warm inside anyway but this doesn't sound like what you really wanted. Still, it's a nice car.you could have alot of fun with it but I'm not sure it's the kind d of fun your looking for

 

I know where you are coming from. When I bought mine it was not a good street driver either. Oh, it was drivable but not a lot of fun. It did not have a very street friendly clutch and did not idle much below 1100 rpm. It had a .060 over 454 with a very bumpy solid lifter cam and about 9" of vacuum. The side pipes had burnt out Hooker max flow inserts so you almost needed earplugs. I swapped the 4 spd for a Tremac 5 spd and a Centerforce clutch. That helped greatly and new muffler inserts quietened it down. However at anything less than 55 mph I had to go back to 4th gear. The engine did not like to run below 1800 rpms or so but hauled butt from 3500 to 6000 rpms. And at the end of a drive I smelled like I had been running the weed eater all day and spilled gas on myself filling it up. I tuned, timed, changed intake, rejetted, and regretted. Last year I put in a new ZZ454 and it is all the difference in the world. We will drive it all day and now I don't smell like exhaust or raw gas. I have not regretted it for a minute.

 

Make sure the seals around the radiator are in place- if the air doesn't go thru the radiator it can't cool things down. Does Oklahoma require a front license plate? I pulled the front plate and bracket off my 69 BB and killed the cooling problems.
Gas for 12 to 1 compression is going to be problematic. You either carry gas with you (PITA!), or find all the places you can get 103 octane (minimum) before you go and hope they have it and are open when you need it. Much easier to drop the compression than find gas. Been there done that. Another option, but not recommended is to back enough timing out it won't ping, but that kills the power. (What fun is that?)
Looking at your pictures, get a steel fuel line and get rid of the rubber line/plastic fuel filter as soon as you can. Lot's of Corvettes have died that way. One little leak and it's BBQ time. I have rubber lines on my 69 in 2 places- at the tank to frame line and from the frame to the fuel pump- and I look at them all the time for problems. Carrying a fire bottle around is not a bad idea either. Secure it where it's handy, but can't go bouncing around either.

 

When you're reading about "all" the issues regarding overheating, or anything for that matter, try and remember one thing.

The happy people, that have no issues,don't post

I'd suggest there are a LOT more people driving with minimal or no overheating issues than there are that are having those issues. You're psyching yourself out...

 

Sounds like you are worried about something that isn t happening yet.. If you drive for an hour and its not running hot, why would you think it would get hotter just because you drive longer? Keep the cooling system in good condition and you will be fine.. that's not an insanely high output motor, ..my small block puts out that much horsepower and I have no heat issues... relax and ENJOY the car.

 

Thank you! We cruised around Tulsa yesterday from 4 to 9 with no problems; only stopping to fill her up and to get a quick meal for ourselves.

 

Agreed ^^ Had a great ride last night, didn't go too far away but cruised for 5 hours with no problems. It was great. The beautiful weather we are having helps also. The first couple times we drove her it was hotter than hell weather, in that case I should probably stay in my truck with the air conditioned seats. lol Call me old and spoiled.