So i bought a 1970 LS5 convertible with 4 speed about a year ago. its an original car with less than 100k mileage and since its Cal based there is no rust or undercoating.
The good, no rust, very original 2 tops, silver on black, power windows and brakes and matching numbers. the body has not been hit but did have a repaint of the original color.
before you all get too excited this is my 16th Corvette and I am not concerned with matching numbers. I retire next year and wanted a project to enjoy while I can still get it done.

My plan is to upgrade the motor, silver sport 5 speed, Vansteel tubular suspension with coilovers and offset rear trailing arms. Wilwood brakes all around, DeWitts aluminum radiator with dual fans, upgraded wiring, alternator and Borgenson Box
I've attached some photos of the engine getting shipped to Marc Jones of Vortec Pro. I'm excited about his reputation and quality of detail. the engine should make about 550 HP and gobs of torque when he's done.
I already bought a full Holley Sniper system but will start with an AED carb on a Torker 2 intake. when i eventually go EFI the Torker 2 will be a good match and it should still fit under the stock hood.
i have attached some photos and will update as i move along. I am in no rush as I still run a business fulltime so just accumulating parts while I still get a paycheck.

 

good luck with your resto ,,,

 

Look forward to seeing the progress and end result of your effort

 

Well its been a journey to say the least. Sorry for no updates so far but I moved the car to my new house in AZ and getting ready to retire ( easier said than done ).
the good news is that my house has a large 4 car garage and I already installed a 4 post lift to help my old joints. my engine is getting wrapped up by Mark Jones at Vortec Pro and should be done this week. It will ship from Texas when done. I will share the dyno numbers when finished but it should be in excess of 570 HP according to Mark. As usual there were some surprises in this 52 year old engine that Mark had to deal with by it is sorted out.
The car is on a lift as I am currently tackling the wiring which is a mess. I am glad I decided to go with an American Autowire resto kit. At least I know all the burnt and frayed wires are out.
Since the engine is out I am doing all the detailing I can without removing the body. Power brakes are going to be handled by a Hydroboost system powering Wilwood calipers. Vansteel on coilovers, tubular arms and offset trailing arms. I decided to go with Dakota Digital gauges to match the wiring.
Since I have a 3.08 differential i went with a wide ratio Tremec TKX. With a 3.27 first gear it will pull hard off the line and still get decent mileage ( LOL )

Ill post some pics when I have a chance but its far from pretty at this point.

 

some new photos to share

 

Looks like your making good progress.
My 73 looked just like that a couple of months ago.
Keep us posted.

 

What's being done to the motor to get you to 550 hp? It's a nice looking car BTW.

 

Mark Jones at Vortec Pro is doing the engine. It will be balanceed and blueprinted displacing 467 ci. the heads and intake ( Air gap dual plane ) will be machined to flow maximum flow. Hydraulic roller cam and Johnson roller lifters. AED 750 double pumper carb and electronic ignition. Hooker super comp headers.
Mark will also work his magic on the oil pan and oiling system.

 

Looking good but are you 100% that Air gap will go under the hood? I’m not so sure about that..

 

i am 100% sure it wont fit. I have an L88 hood on order with airbox. I will use the L88 factory style air filter. Another one thing led to another as this project keeps multiplying. More power led to better suspension, led to better braking, better cooling, bigger wheels/ tires etc, etc. The fun never stops nor the expenses.

 

I believe Mark Jones is building CorvettePassion the exact engine for his 69.
You guys should swap notes.

 

I went down the very same rabbit hole!

 

As I read the post.....I realized the same thing. I will be interested in what HP / torque numbers Mark gets for you.....because I am not too far behind you in delivery and build component choices. I am not going for max power build.....but, want reliability and longevity, and want to stick with Chevy parts for the most part. I will be using a Quadrajet, already rebuilt by Eric at Vintage Muscle and shipped to Mark. I will be using stock cast factory exhaust manifolds.....bought from OldCarBum. The intake manifold is going to be a high rise, earlier Corvette factory manifold, like the one Mark used on the 427 build he did on this forum. I will also be using a factory L88 hood,.....and plan to make the cold air function as Chevy did. Otherwise.....propably going with hydraulic roller cam and lifters that you have.....although I am tempted to stick with flat tappet, because Mark has the good stuff to do that. He assured me if he builds a flat tappet cam engine for me......I will have no problems like so many have recently with flat tappets. I might stick with flat tappets just because.......the rabbithole. I also am seriously considering just using the original points distributor I have.

 

this will be an interesting comparison between the 2 similar builds with some different approaches. Im not going for factory stock since I am using headers, modern ignition, air gap intake and hotter carb as well as hydraulic roller. this set up should be very reliable and give me the power i want. Mark should have the engine done within the next week or so and I will happily share the dyno results. He also said he would video the dyno run which I will be happy to share. Since I have so many other projects on this car i wont be able to give any driving impressions for a while but the engine sitting in my garage will accelerate my desire to wrap things up. the wiring is my least favorite task but actually pretty satisfying doing it by myself. as soon as all the old wiring is completely removed I will do the detailing under the hood and under the dash. I will also be using Richards 454 headlight and wiper cover conversion. more pics to follow as I make some progress. Happy to see similar builds going on such as mine as it gives a good forum to compare notes, both good and bad.

 

Mark had the engine on the dyno on Friday and it did great. He was limited on pushing it too hard as there was a bad fire nearby and he didnt have great air. None the less it was north of 550. I dont have the details yet as Im in the throws of Covid but should have more details later this week. I am only running a 750 HO carb from AED so it is a bit small but Mark said it really performed well and its perfect for a street set up.

Lots and Lots of work to do and being sick is driving me nuts

 

At least it’s only COVID.
Seriously, it could be worse.

If you are just driving on the street, that 750 should work just fine for you unless you are mashing the go pedal from light to light.

Get better!

 

Well I am making some progress. the engine is back from Mark and it hit the numbers I hoped for ( 570 Hp ). engine needed more work than anticipated since we didnt know what was in there as I have only had her for a couple of years and havent driven it. Mark ran it with a bigger carb so he got more HP than I did, running an AED 750 double pumper to get my numbers rather than a 1000 cfm Mark tried. over 550 HP is all I will ever need and then some. I do want to keep the rest of the driveline from grenading. I have totally stripped all the wiring and interior including steering column. Working on detailing the under dash and then sound and heat insulation. I will then detail underhood since its pretty empty. Once its clean and tidy I will install the hydraulic clutch Master, wiring and then hydroboost. followed by Borgenson box. Hopefully that order will allow me maximum access for each job.
I will then do the wiring, front to back, electric headlight motors as well as wiper cover electric motors. Dakota Digital gauges to complete the wiring project. Next will be front and rear suspension ( Vansteel coilover conversion )
that should finish up with engine install and Tremec TKX install. Ill check with Gary Remadi on his schedule to send him my differntial
Wilwood brakes and bigger Torque Thrust wheels and tires should get it moving.
Only part I am waiting on is the L88 hood which takes a very long time from my vendor
I will post some more pics shortly

 

One small item to keep in mind during all your wiring and electrical upgrades, is some wiring harnesses and some alternators my require that you change from an amp meter to a volt meter.
Knowing ahead of time will keep you from tearing apart the center console to replace a gauge after you have everything buttoned up.
Keep us updated!

 

no problem on the wiring as I am converting everything to Dakota Digital which is a voltmeter. the wiring is all new from American Autowire resto mod series. I have a higher output alternator and will be using electric fans as well. Hopefully I have all my bases covered except time. Im retiring in Arizona but still going back and forth to Monterey Calif for work part time for a few more months.

 

I’m using the AAW restomod wiring harness as well, but I purchased all new oem gauges for the stock look.
Post some pictures and comments as you install the harnesses so I know what to look forward to.