i think the OP imported this corvette because he is sick of MGB's and Spits. now he is curious what power it has. or could have. i don't think he is going to see how fast it will go through the english countryside. car is too wide for Limey roads and steering wheel is on the wrong side anyway... but get a cheap borescope and get a peek at the piston tops and combustion chambers it will give you the beginnings of an idea. you can get a timing tape for the balancer and degree the cam if you really got to know.

 

A few miles from my house is the infamous snake pass, (in)famous in Corvette history as the place where the drummer from Def Leppard crashed his Corvette apparently racing another car and sadly lost his arm.

We do have motorways and you used to be able to go quite fast on here as long as it wasn't too busy and you'd be left alone but now the main ones are littered with cameras, although they let you take a course if you get caught.

I was just after a general idea of the hp or potential of the car, like other people have said in this day and age spending a ton of money to get it to 600 hp is a waste of time (esp in UK) unless you want a track car and the chances are something more modern would perform much better anyway.

BTW the car is all registered and insured now so is road legal, but at the garage having the parking brakes fully rebuilt (they were disconnected when I got the car) , which I believe has almost caused the mechanic to have a nervous breakdown. A few other minor things to do but the winter is coming in fast here in the UK so it might not be until the spring that I get to properly take the car out for a good run.

Thanks for all your replies though it's been a big help.

 

I will never... ever... get this. The Mopar guys always said that about the 440 6-pack too... that its more fun, even faster than the 426 Hemi, on the street. The Mustang guys said it about the hopeless 215HP 2-valve 4.6 over the 305HP 4-valve 4.6. Low end torque. Seriously? I think people that say that **** need to sell whatever performance car they're testing/driving, and buy a Cummins, maybe a Cadillac 500... something more suited to their driving capacity. Or should we all just take those no fun cams out ov our LT1's and L89's and put in a towing cam that idles at 500? WAY more fun. I'm not trying to be an *** here, but here's a simple tip: if your L48 is more fun to drive than your L82, or your 440 is more fun than your Hemi... LEARN TO DRIVE.

I'm not trashin' on ya augie, i'm trashng on those idiots at Car & Driver. I've just spent decades reading stupid magazines telling people not to overcam their engines. Yeah, you know, i think after 4 decades ov browbeating, we get it Hotrod/CarCraft. I wont buy the 322 DeathRattler HellaChopter cam for my daily driver 305. Why does anyone even sell a cam bigger than 256?

My advice? Build a good COMBO (cid/compression/heads/cam/intake) for how you ACTUALLY want to drive. If you cant do that, find someone who can and get their help. This forum has many members that can do this in their sleep. Its not 1983 anymore... no one is guessing.

 

You know me by now, and I think I know you….and I seriously have tried to understand the very common thinking that big cams and high RPM is the only definition of performance. The subject gets blurry because we all have different definitions of desired performance. For you speed is a number I will never see. I think the thinking that goes with Car and Driver, and folks like me is that acceleration that occurs with a well built engine delivering torque at lower RPMs is more desirable than an engine that NEEDS rpm to make the same torque and acceleration. Japanese motorcycles run a 12000 rpm and they can attain very high speeds and acceleration. My Harley accelerates very well and as much as needed on the street, way more than cars, but it does it at 3000-4000 rpm. I cammed it purposely for that. I actually think it’s pathetic that sport bikes have to resort to 12000 rpm to go fast. Sounds like poor design. Harley and the owners get it.

it’s all context. If I have to wind up the Corvette to 6000 to accelerate…..I consider it weak. With my 406, and the big block, if I can accelerate the same amount at 3000 rpm…..then the only reason I need 6000 rpm is to go 150 mph…..which I have no interest in doing, nor should anyone be allowed to do on the public roads.

it seems that muscle cars have always been judged by the drag racing mentality, and no matter how much logic is applied, owners need big cams, artificial loping cams, and high RPMs to make them feel their car is worthy. It’s like a mental roadblock. The bottom line to this thinking is that a guy just wants a drag racer to drive on the street….likes the noise and makes him feel good. Thing is, we all don’t want drag racers. Do you think Porsche and Ferrari owners think like this?

Some of the true street performance guys like Vizard talk about a strong and flat torque curve, starting sooner than later in rpm is what pushes you back in the seat ……on the street. It’s written in multiple books I have and my experience. My first engine in the vette was a 350 with AFR heads…..it would only get moving to my satisfaction above 5000 rpm…..which is why I pulled it and got the 406…and should have just got a big block.

And for me personally….as you know, I have no interest in what is required to go above 70 mph max…..it’s useless. What I want and get out of my 406 and my Harley is exciting acceleration without high rpm noise and abuse. And both deliver more of that, and better than some over-cammed high rpm motor. My 06 Corvette is very powerful, but I can tell it wants RPM…..but I just shift to use the low end torque to accelerate without all the racket…..even though it’s a beautiful sound, that will be better when I get some Borlas on it.

Obviously on a track….opposite is true. It’s that simple. To me it’s easy, and weak, to need high RPM to make a car or bike accelerate.

 

Maybe it comes from my two stroke motocross days, but I love wringing an engine out. Taking something that is not normally capable of big HP and speed and making it happen. A streetable 350 making 500 HP @ 6500 rpm. That’s a blast to me.

Sure big torque is great too, but not at the sacrifice of rpm capability. Otherwise I’d just have a Diesel engine.

I remember when all the motocross mostly switched over to 4 stroke high torque engines. It made racing so much easier, jumps, acceleration, whoops all became easy because the torque accelerated the bike much quicker.
However it was not as fun as a two stroke that took significantly more skill and ability and technique to go fast vs just big torque to go fast. Having to work for it is half the fun.

Big torque makes slow guys a lot faster and fast guys a little faster. It levels the playing field to a large degree, taking out much of the driver skill/technique as a variable. But if we’re talking street driving primarily. Something at or below 55 mph, big torque is still fun.
BTW, IIRC turbine engines spin pretty fast . Not fair to compare turbine engine to ICE engine?

 

I have a buddy in his seventies, and "back in the day" he built 301 small blocks that would rev to eight grand. To me that would be useless. I rarely get on the highway with no overdrive and 3.55 gears. Most of my driving is around town. If there's no other cars around, I may punch it a bit on a side street in first and second, by then I need to slow down, skip third and go straight to fourth. My tach is no functioning at the moment, but I doubt I ever see 5000 rpm.

 

By the way.....my 406 still goes quickly to at least 6000 RPM at least (did it once)......so the torque cam was not restrictive. It winds out quite nicely. SO.....its not like I sacrificed anything. It just pulls hard right off the bat.....which is what displacement and a torque cam will do for you. The cam Mark Jones is putting in the 406......which will actually be a 408 now, is 10 degrees more on both intake and exhaust......which is in the direction that all you guys love. I hope I do.

Another part of this discussion is the transmission. I could wind out the engine to 6000 RPM in first gear....then shift to second, and then go to 6000......which by that point, I am probably doing highway speed. Then I guess I skip third and go to fourth to cruise. Going to 6000 RPM in 4th gear is NEVER happening with me behind the wheel, because it would be doing 130 mph plus???? (just a guess). I prefer hitting it in first till second is a better option for pushing the car forward, then into 3rd again with another push....and finally,....cruising in 4th. Of course, I love to shift and I am not dropping the clutch and shocking the drivetrain.....I do it nice and easy......and its a blast. I could not enjoy it more.

I am doing the same with the 2006 C6......with shift points around 2500 RPM. Fifth gear puts it at 1700 RPM at 55 mph.....which to me is almost lugging it. I have only used 6th gear when on turnpike to Carlisle at 70 mph.....otherwise....never. THis has proven to me that my M23Z 4-speed was the right choice. Having a fifth gear behind this 406 would drop the rpm a little.....but to me, no big deal. Not worth the loss of the factory shifter and not an issue at 55-60 mph that I typically drive.

 

I got lazy and didn’t read through the whole thread. Did anyone suggest he just strap it to a chassis dyno?? That’d would pretty much tell how much power it’s producing…

 

he was curious what his 350 made in power. then this thread turned into an argument as a lot of threads do.

 

Its a forum....made for discussion., and I find it more useful in decision making if all ideas are presented.....not just the mob's viewpoint. This forum has taught me alot, because of the input from multiple viewpoints, and I welcome it. The OP needs input from people who drive responsibly on the street.....not just the racing viewpoint. It will save him money, and headaches.

 

Beautiful car and welcome to the forum!
Without reading through each post, here is my suggestion.
If the hp rating is important to you, then find a shop in your area that specializes in dyno tuning.
They can put your car on their dyno and run it though the gears and give you a printout of the rear wheel horsepower and from that they can calculate the engine horsepower at the crank.
At the same time have them tune your engine on their dyno for maximum efficiency for how you intend to drive and use your new car.
It doesn’t do any good to tune your engine for maximum hp at wide open throttle if you don’t drive it there.
Good luck and keep us posted.