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Even after all these years the emission's era power figures still haunt these cars in the minds of so many people.......yet I do wonder how many are really still so very weak?
This engine #3 in my car and this time I also added a new Transmission. A TCI Super Street Fighter. 383 torque and transmission that "barks" the tires hard into second is a long way from the mid-15 second quater mile times the car could only manage when I got in 1980. They say a picture speaks a 1,000 words. With traction, the car will make a high 12 second 1/4 mile now effortlessly and repeatedly.
A video probably can say even more. Short and simple. It shows there is no LESS potential in a '79 vs any other C3. The sound and power is clearly obvious vs what it once was.
I might even dare to say there is MORE potential in a car that came originally with an L82 that actually attempted to pass itself off as performance engine in 1979. Ultimately this is car that leaves you with no second guessing yourself over the wisdom or detrimental value destruction of "DITCHING" that originality under the hood.
You've done what most everyone would want to do to one of these cars.....sprinkled it with some performance salt and pepper, while keeping with the true styling of the C3!
Car sounds really nice, and sure looks like it's got the go to back it up....great job!
I have done the same with my numbers matching L-82, 4 speed 3.70 gears, with the rebuilt 355 L-82 with roller cam, AFR heads with 10.2 compression. I reconditioned the L-82 forged crank and L-82 reconditioned Rods along with the ported L-82 aluminum intake with 1 3/4 inch Long Tube Headers....My L-82 355 will smoke the tires easily from a standing start as well as literally lift the front end noticeably with moderate to WOT mid range RPM acceleration...pretty amazing....I built the 355 L-82 purposely preserving much of the OEM L-82 and with most L-82 parts like the crank, rods, intake, etc. The only addition externally to my motor that one may notice is the AFR heads but it looks very OEM L-82 until you hit the gas hard....I am still amazed today..5 years into the build at the power that can be had from the 350 block.
Great vid seeing a guy pound on his build bouncing it off the rev limiter!
I too love my little 355 and the power it produces. The L-82 is a great platform to modify.
I have done the same with my numbers matching L-82, 4 speed 3.70 gears, with the rebuilt 355 L-82 with roller cam, AFR heads with 10.2 compression. I reconditioned the L-82 forged crank and L-82 reconditioned Rods along with the ported L-82 aluminum intake with 1 3/4 inch Long Tube Headers....My L-82 355 will smoke the tires easily from a standing start as well as literally lift the front end noticeably with moderate to WOT mid range RPM acceleration...pretty amazing....I built the 355 L-82 purposely preserving much of the OEM L-82 and with most L-82 parts like the crank, rods, intake, etc. The only addition externally to my motor that one may notice is the AFR heads but it looks very OEM L-82 until you hit the gas hard....I am still amazed today..5 years into the build at the power that can be had from the 350 block.
Yeah, in my case I just removed the old engine years ago in favor of a ZZ4 crate motor in the mid 1990s. That work well enough for a little more than 20 years,,,,,,but this time I went with the bigger displacement 383. Like you have already noticed in your own car, a roller cam and big ported aluminum heads make a huge difference.
This engine is a lot stronger than the ZZ4 it replaces. Monster torque for a SBC. This car is running 3.08s right now. On the 255/50/17s and anything less than a drag strip prepared surface it's got enough "grunt" to tear up tires virtually all the way through first gear and then just as it about gains traction, it's barks 'em HARD into 2nd gear.
The lower end of this engine doesn't have that forged crank, you still have, so a sensible rev limit setting of 6,000RPM can be heard in the video's last scene.
Great vid seeing a guy pound on his build bouncing it off the rev limiter!
I too love my little 355 and the power it produces. The L-82 is a great platform to modify.
The silliness of the "Go Pro" on the back window is the only reason I was willing to stay in it.
Trust me when I say, "this is not something I'd ever do if not for that little camera capturing the video at the time.
No doubt, L82 has some good internals but
just 'bout any 350 makes a good start to a hot rod / can be transformed into a race motor ... depends on what you want & how much $ you got.
case in point:
the last reliable source of "good" 350 motors in my region has dried-up.
School funding shaming resulted in replacing old Thomas gas school buses; most of those had sbc 350 motors.
They had good 4-bolt blocks, steel cranks, strong rods and strong-thick 76cc heads.
Many regional circletrack classes' "built-motor rules" require production heads w/chambers No smaller than 70cc.
"thick" Bus heads easily cut 0.035" - 0.040" & still not crack & still seal good.
make all the jokes you want about "short" buses ... I had a short bus motor that, on occasion, was even quicker than the wit of that spacer between the wheel & the seat.
Ow,doggee,I'm jealous. I'm orig owner of a 78' SA,L82 auto.3.55 r/e with 33k on the clock. Runs very good,de-smogged with headers but your idle & acceleration is where I WANNA be. You still have working A/C? Hi prm's won't spit the belt? Hdal
Ow,doggee,I'm jealous. I'm orig owner of a 78' SA,L82 auto.3.55 r/e with 33k on the clock. Runs very good,de-smogged with headers but your idle & acceleration is where I WANNA be. You still have working A/C? Hi prm's won't spit the belt? Hdal
The RPMs are limited to 6,000RPM. So no belt loss......yet. Then again I don't run the car this hard very often.
If belt loss becomes an issue serpentine solutions are out there and I'm probably going to go that route soon anyway. I thought about it last year but I at least TRY to stick to a self imposed budget for this car each year and between the crate motor and transmission I mostly BLEW IT out of the water pretty BIG in '17 and '18.
Then there is the performance......High 12s in the 1/4 mile are mostly in the motor but it's not "all motor" alone.
There is some weight reduction in this car vs stock. I haven't weighed it and maybe I should. The local dump has a drive on scale.
So first up and to answer one of your questions. No AC in this car. I l live in New England not Florida or the Deep South where a car with no AC is just about as useless as it gets in the summer. It's really not necessary anyway. We have other summer cars to drive on the really hot humid days when they happen. My Corvette is a perfect sunny, day, cruiser today and the AC and all the emissions equipment was removed a long time ago.
Other weight loss changes include:
The engine wears aluminum heads and intake, headers replace the stock iron exhaust. Suspension is now transverse Fiberglass in front and back of the car and I don't run with a spare tire. The Torque thrust 17" wheels and tires run a fair bit lighter than the stock 15's and rubber. Brakes are aluminium Willwood. Not sure it adds up to much but an Aluminum radiator and electric fans replace the original set up. I figure it all adds up to a few hundred pds lost. I really should weigh it to be sure.
No doubt, L82 has some good internals but
just 'bout any 350 makes a good start to a hot rod / can be transformed into a race motor ... depends on what you want & how much $ you got.
case in point:
the last reliable source of "good" 350 motors in my region has dried-up.
School funding shaming resulted in replacing old Thomas gas school buses; most of those had sbc 350 motors.
They had good 4-bolt blocks, steel cranks, strong rods and strong-thick 76cc heads.
Many regional circletrack classes' "built-motor rules" require production heads w/chambers No smaller than 70cc.
"thick" Bus heads easily cut 0.035" - 0.040" & still not crack & still seal good.
make all the jokes you want about "short" buses ... I had a short bus motor that, on occasion, was even quicker than the wit of that spacer between the wheel & the seat.
Oh, I thought the word was out on those heads.
Truck motors often are 4 bolt blocks........and you gotta like that but not those heads. No matter how strong they are physically.....they should be considered throw away "junk". They are among the very WORST Chevrolet ever put on an engine. 100% designed to meet emissions standards rather than perform. They have no use in a world with SUPER CHEAP ready to run Vortecs and really good (yet pricier) aluminum aftermarket heads from what are almost too many different suppliers to keep straight in your head.
I chose to go the create motor route but if you want to build up what you got or just build one on your own from scratch.......
Great book on Chevy small blocks from a few years back is still mostly relevant today. Written by David Visard it describes those heads as sure HP and Torque killers......and he goes on to describe what you should be looking for instead. The book is full of REASONABLE upgrades for serious power without blowing a budget and he's quick to tell you what works, what doesn't, what you need and what you don't. We've got a '69 Camaro that has an engine assembled in the 1990s using no small number of the suggestions made in this book. I don't know if it's been updated recently or not......the ad from Amazon's web site suggests the last update was done in 2009.
I love my '79, had some fun over the weekend. Fastest road registered car there apart from one heavily modified 4wd Evo Lancer.
Auto cross efforts can be done very effectively in these cars. I'm not sure what you've done to your car in the hunt for better handling. It'd be interesting to hear what you've done. I know in my own car lot's of suspension changes have resulted in a much better handling car and the Fiberglass transverse springs in both the front and back of the car, along with koni shocks and big *** sway bars have really tightened up the turning while also giving me what you're not supposed to be able to get, a better ride over the rough stuff.
Modern tech is pretty amazing verses the steel coils and big steel leaf pack spring out back.........but all C3s start out with the basic near 50/50 weight balance that most other cars don't. Makes them a GREAT STARTING point for an auto cross or road racing effort.
If I were to make one more change going forward. The idea of a rack and pinion swap for the old steering may just come next for me. The current system isn't leaking and is still "like new tight" since I last restored it........but when the day comes it needs work again I'm probably gonna make the switch.
Auto cross efforts can be done very effectively in these cars. I'm not sure what you've done to your car in the hunt for better handling. It'd be interesting to hear what you've done. I know in my own car lot's of suspension changes have resulted in a much better handling car and the Fiberglass transverse springs in both the front and back of the car, along with koni shocks and big *** sway bars have really tightened up the turning while also giving me what you're not supposed to be able to get, a better ride over the rough stuff.
You'd be surprised... My car had the gymkhana suspension from the factory (stiffer springs, larger front sway bar, and 7/16" rear bar), and is still running the original springs and sway bars, though the front springs have a coil removed and the rear has the main leaf shortened for wheel/tyre clearance and of course longer bolts. I have Global West upper arms in the front, Borgeson steering, vb&p bumpsteer blocks and Bilstein sport shocks. I did have poly bushes throughout, but recently fitted global west bushes in the factory lower arms in the front, heim jointed strut rods, and global west trailing arms. I also raised the diff and solid mounted it at the same time. These later mods really don't make the car feel any different, but it is faster on the track. I went with the Global West trailing arms purely as I had cracked some welds on the factory arms and wanted the additional strength - I had relocated the handbrake cable on the factory arms and had plenty of wheel and tyre clearance. The wheels are 18x10 with 295 tyres on all 4 corners, and that along with an effective performance oriented alignment is the main secret. I have taken some weight out of the car, but nothing dramatic, just the usual alloy engine bits and left out spare wheel etc.
Another shot from the weekend:
Last edited by Metalhead140; 05-20-2019 at 11:47 PM.
Besides the engine upgrade that you all managed with a stroked 350 to 388 and 383 cubes, I managed my power upgrade maximizing the 355. I too have made a host of suspension upgrades over the last 35 years going back to the mid 80's with the the composite rear spring, better tires back then, poly OEM struts rods, poly sway bar bushings on the OEM gymkhana bars front and rear, and better shocks with originally Koni oils.
As stated, these cars have a great starting platform to build a fine handling sports car, steering, and riding sports car. Here is what I have done over the last 35 years:
Front:
550 lbs front coil springs/1 inch lower than stock- 1 1/8 inch front sway bar (OEM Bar size)- poly upper and lower control arm bushings- Bilstein HD shocks- Front Spreader Bar- Custom blueprinted/rebuilt OEM steering box- GTR 1999-Gary Ramadei- This modification will make your OEM box about as good as it gets with the OEM steering and very close to a borgeson.....not quite but close 255/45/17 ZR ultra high Performance tires
Rear:
360 monospring- Bilstein Sport shocks- OEM Style Rear Sway bar (not the aftermarket type bars. I highly discourage NON OEM/GM style rear sway bars)-7/16 or 9/16 or 3/4 inch (I have this one replacing the stock 7/16 inch bar)- Competition adjustable strut rods with heim joint ends- 255/45/17 ZR ultra high Performance tires
Besides the engine upgrade that you all managed with a stroked 350 to 388 and 383 cubes, I managed my power upgrade maximizing the 355. I too have made a host of suspension upgrades over the last 35 years going back to the mid 80's with the the composite rear spring, better tires back then, poly OEM struts rods, poly sway bar bushings on the OEM gymkhana bars front and rear, and better shocks with originally Koni oils.
As stated, these cars have a great starting platform to build a fine handling sports car, steering, and riding sports car. Here is what I have done over the last 35 years:
Front:
550 lbs front coil springs/1 inch lower than stock- 1 1/8 inch front sway bar (OEM Bar size)- poly upper and lower control arm bushings- Bilstein HD shocks- Front Spreader Bar- Custom blueprinted/rebuilt OEM steering box- GTR 1999-Gary Ramadei- This modification will make your OEM box about as good as it gets with the OEM steering and very close to a borgeson.....not quite but close 255/45/17 ZR ultra high Performance tires
Rear:
360 monospring- Bilstein Sport shocks- OEM Style Rear Sway bar (not the aftermarket type bars. I highly discourage NON OEM/GM style rear sway bars)-7/16 or 9/16 or 3/4 inch (I have this one replacing the stock 7/16 inch bar)- Competition adjustable strut rods with heim joint ends- 255/45/17 ZR ultra high Performance tires
Best part of what you've done is no doubt the handling improvement in the corners. I know there are people who don't like the look of a 17" wheel on a C3......but better suspension pretty much REQUIRES the use of modern rubber and wheel sizes or you'll struggle to realize the potential in what you've done without 'em. The tire industry has all but abandoned the 15" wheel size in terms of improving upon the tire tech found in them.
Regardless of tire and wheel size, it's still the visual thing I notice first. Like you my car runs a lot lower than when new and it really does improve the appearance in a HUGE WAY, IMO.
I've gotten to the point that when-ever iI see a C3 of any vintage, early Chrome bumpers or the later models with body colored covering over the internal pieces, at the "stock" ride height it just looks like a 4x4 to me.
Perception of appearance.......it's all in the mind of the person looking and clearly it can change over time.
Where I once though 15" wheels and BFG tires and that higher ride height looked pretty good........I just can't see it that way anymore. Your car captures the way I think a C3 should look now.
Not sure I can agree with your recommendations concerning the rear sway bars though. I'm running with 1.25" up front and .75" out back. The car corners extremely flat with no body roll at all to speak of. Seems really well balanced. I can't say for sure that it isn't also due to the the adjustment of my front and back spring rates. These are set up for quick changes to the front and back both with but ultimately I don't mess with it much. I don't autocross. Played with it when it was first installed and when I found what I like I just left it alone after that.
The really cool part about the transverse fiberglass at both ends of the car is also found in the ability to really dial in that ride height at exactly where you want it through the length of the bolts at each end of the spring. With VBP out of business and long gone now though. I'm not sure if the front spring is still out there and available. It works so very well though. I have to believe someone still makes it or something similar.
Not sure I understand your comment about the sway bars? I run the OEM Gymkhana GM front 1 1/8 inch front bar with all poly bushings (acts more like a 1.25 inch bar) with a GM style OEM endlinks 3/4 inch rear bar with poly mounting bushings. I run Bilstein HD shock up front with the lowered gymkhana 550 springs which are probs now about 600 LBS springs with the composite 360 lbs in the rear with Bilstein Sports. My car corners almost flat and is also very neutral near the limit.
The new 79 L82 I bought was pretty, but not a performance car. Really a disappointment. They are a good base to start with compared to the Camaros that I have owned
Not sure I understand your comment about the sway bars? I run the OEM Gymkhana GM front 1 1/8 inch front bar with all poly bushings (acts more like a 1.25 inch bar) with a GM style OEM endlinks 3/4 inch rear bar with poly mounting bushings. I run Bilstein HD shock up front with the lowered gymkhana 550 springs which are probs now about 600 LBS springs with the composite 360 lbs in the rear with Bilstein Sports. My car corners almost flat and is also very neutral near the limit.
Yeah, I could have been more clear.
I was basically saying I don;t understand why you included: (not the aftermarket type bars. I highly discourage NON OEM/GM style rear sway bars)
Truth be told I've had pretty good results from the aftermarket sway bars.
05-18-2019, 10:02 AM
1979 Corvette's get a bad rap!
Fastest road registered car there apart from one heavily modified 4wd Evo Lancer.
