Hello all! I have a 79 L82 4 spd and the lack of HP is getting to me. So, even though it is bone stock with 69k miles I gotta change it up. Headers, exhaust, aluminum 64cc heads, aluminum intake and either a new Holly or rebuild the QJet.
My question is, is the L82 cam good enough for all that? I've heard good things about it but idk! I've also heard that going to 1.6 rockers can make a big difference too.

Also...and good suggestions for suspension upgrade? Ridetech Streetgrip looks interesting...

Thanks in advance!
JD

 

Check first with others regarding what hot rod hi-po mods you can make AND get away with in YOUR location.

If kosher in your jurisdiction, first thing I'd change is dump entire exhaust system and install true dual exhausts with No cats.

*Not certain, but OE '79 L82 intake manifold might be aluminum ?

 

It is a decent cam especially with the extra compression you will get from the 64cc heads but I suspect yours will have a worn lobe or 2 when you get in there. My '80 L-82 was like that when I took it apart at about 45k. Added the 64cc heads and true duals etc for a nice modest increase.

While the cam is probably worn, the bores and forged pistons might still be serviceable. It might be a good time to do a low cost stone hone re-ring overhaul while you have it apart. Reuse the bores and rotating assembly.

 

Yeah I'm trying to avoid a full rebuild and pulling the engine. I don't have that kind of time or knowhow for that matter.

 

JD -
Your hunch that the L82 cam might not be such a bad choice is absolutely correct...

One of the best-running street engines Chevy put in a car in the 1960s is the L79 327 350-hp small block. The cam in the 350-horse 327 is basically the same cam as the L46 350/350 (which is the same cam as the 350 L82), and it's a great setup for a moderate street car: The 114 LSA will produce plenty of vacuum for headlights and power brakes, which also makes for easy carb tuning and setup. The difference between the L79 cam and the L46/L88 is that GM installed the L46/L82 cam on a 114-degree intake centerline in order to meet emissions requirements. The L79 was installed on a 110 intake centerline. You can take the L46/L82 cam and simply degree it during assembly and put it on the L79-spec intake centerline for some really great performance. This, combined with the L46/L82 cam's slightly higher lift will get you an excellent-running car with very nice "street manners".

Here are the specs on the L79 versus L46/L82 cams for easy comparison - as you can see, if you install the L82 cam on the L79-spec intake centerline, you end up with a "high-lift" version of the L79, which is just perfect for a modest performance 350. With good compression and well-flowing heads, this will be an excellent combo:



Part number for the L82 is 3896962. Still available from Chevy and through Summit Racing.
The Melling 22200 is a great aftermarket version of the L79.


Lars

 

Great reply my friend! Thabks for the good info... Esp the intake centerline!
How much HP gain do you think I'd get with this exhaust and top end build?

 

I had my sort block L82 rebuilt with a comp cam specs of 442 465 265 269 110. I told my engine builder I wanted good midrange torque because my '77 has a 373 gear with a 4 speed. I kept all of the original rotating parts plus Installed the Edelbrock E series heads. Edelbrock performer intake with the Edelbrock AVS 2 carb. Your comments please.

 

Rebuilt my OEM L-82 4 speed with 3.70 gears in 2014 with 65,000 miles at the time.

New JE Forged racing pistons, 64 CC 180 AFR heads (absolutely worth the extra $'s), reconditioned the OEM L-82 Rods, OEM reconditioned L-82 Forged crank, mildly ported the OEM aluminum L-82 intake, rejetted the Holley 4175 650 CFM vacuum Qjet carb on the car since 1985, Howards Roller cam (219/225 duration, .525 lift, LSA 110, operating range 1,500-5,600 RPM), and .015 head gasket for a final compression of 10.2:1. The result have been outstanding with smooth idle, strong low rpm power, stunningly strong BIG mid range torque, pulling hard to 6,000 RPM (rare). Pretty much looks and sounds like the OEM L-82 with the hood open, AFR aluminum heads, not withstanding, at idle.

 

Listen to Lars. He knows his stuff.
The L-82 is an excellent cam. I have run a couple of them over the years and was very happy. You need an honest 10:1 compression to make it work though.

 

That's absolutely correct. The L82 cam, as noted, is the very successful L79 cam installed on a different intake centerline (and with just a little more lift). It was designed and intended for the high compression L79 327, and needs that compression to work as intended. With your planned 64 cc heads, and installed on the L79 centerline spec, it will run the way GM intended it to run, assuming you have flat-top pistons and use a thin head gasket (.017"). Should be a very nice combo!
Lars

 

If you only change one thing on that engine, it should be the heads. And if you are swapping heads, why wouldn't you pull the engine?

If you want to give your hamstrings a workout, here's a thread where someone changed heads, and the cam, without pulling the engine.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ld-thread.html

Be sure to ask @lars for his timing and Q-Jet setup papers (or send him your carb) to make the most of the engine.

 

To properly degree the cam, and to do a good installation of heads and the cam, the engine should be on an engine stand. Degreeing a cam with the engine in the car is a bit***. Pulling the engine is no more than a 2-hour operation (I always try to beat my 55-minute record) and will save you tons of grief.

 

Maybe, but in my tiny one car garage. I could lift my body one side at a time and do body mounts.
But pull the engine? Not possible. I rebuilt my engine right in the car. That was a few years ago. Still running great. So yes you can install a cam, lifters and heads with the engine sitting right there in the car. And yes leaning in is a pain I guess. But with zero room for any type of lifting device. Zero room for a engine on a stand unless the car itself was put out in the weather. And no engine stand.
Some of us make do.

 

I don't have a cherry picker or engine stand tho and they ain't cheap.

 

The heads are fairly easy to swap without pulling the engine. Ive done both heads and cam swaps on my old 350 while in the car without an issue though the cam did require pulling the radiator. Yeah you need to take breaks for you back and hamstrings.
I bought a used cherry picker on facebook this time around to swap in the 406 but last time I borrowed one from a friend who moved away its not that bad but more work IMO than swapping the heads in the car YMMV. as far as degreeing the cam? I went with a retro roller and installed it straight up on my last 2 cam installs It added about $500 to the build but worth it IMO.

 

Exactly! I have room in my 2c garage but no cherry picker or stand

 

Advance the cam a couple degrees, better smaller chamber heads a set of headers and the curve your distributor and go have a lot of fun. You will probably need to adjust the carburetor too. Next step would be replacing that intake manifold aluminum or not .

 

I've never owned a "cherry picker" in my life, and I didn't own an engine stand for my first 10 years of doing engine builds... I started out using a come-along (aka, "cable winch puller") to pull engines. You can buy them brand new for $24.99. That worked just fine for 10 years. A come-along and a chain will pop the engine out of a Vette faster than you can assemble a cherry picker. I then "advanced" to a used chainfall that a friend gave me. Works great! You make do with what you have. I now have an electric winch mounted on a rail because I'm too old for manual work. For engine support, I used an old tire and some boards to put the engine on. Worked just great for several years for top-end rebuilds, cam swaps and cam degree work. You can buy a new engine stand for $55. You're talking about buying $1000+ cylinder heads and doing a $500 cam swap and you're saying you can't afford to buy $75 worth of tools to do the job right..??

 

Lol!point talked and never thought about a come along. Also...haven't pulled an engine since I swapped engines in my 57 Chevy when I was 18 and that's been a few days ago. Sounds like removing the radiator would be easier and I really need to up the cam if I want 400 ish hp.

 

@lars ' garage must be built differently than mine.

I use a Harbor Freight gantry crane. Time the buy with a coupon, and even with a chainfall, it's about $800-. It will lift up a C3 body, too, and a bunch of other things.

Check your garage door height, you may have to assemble it inside.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-...ane-62510.html