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Lotsa help please.
Just bought my first using C3 - had one before which I had to sell after a rebuild - needed the money in those days.
Also had a 1988 C4 for 7 years - but did not like it all that much - looked for ages but could not find a chassis !! Brakes were rubbish, gearbox gave up and after rebuild was still a dog, etc. Was it old ?? No !! it was bought new !!!!!!
So anyway - just bought a 1982 Red Vette - which is actually a 1978. Got it from a dealer of *** stuff - it got caught up in a mass purchase order and sold to me cheaply ( for the UK anyway ).
So, done 95K and is very pretty with leather, air, glass t tops etc. and no rust.
All the suspension is dead , so will be ordering new rubbers, bushes etc. All that stuff is no problem. Where I do need help is the following - and please bear in mind I just got it yesterday and have not yet looked at any codes or numbers.
Ok, here goes.......
1. Gas consumption is horrendous - at 85mph I am getting about 10 mpg to a Uk gallon - about 8 to a US.
2. Although the engine is strong ( no smoke or rattles ) and has headers and a Holley ( is this correct or should it be a Rochester type 4MV ??) and possibly a aftermarket manifold - it will not spin the wheels, accelerates slowly ( My 732i BMW will **** on it ), makes more fan noise than anything else ( clutch not siezed ) but does have reserved pulling power after 2500 revs. Gradual not snappy.
3. OK , I know 1972 to 1990 were bad years for the V8 - but this bad ?
Will anything short of a million bucks and a magic wand make it go like my 1971 429SCJ Mach 1 ??

What sort of performance should I expect from this car as standard and what can I expect for a few hundred extra bucks invested under the hood.
4. As I live in West Wales - max temp about 75 degrees on a good day and bloody cold at all other times - I am thinking of changing to twin electric fans as per the Ecklers catalogue - any comments.
5. Does the 350 like a shift kit and any preferences ??
6. Best factory sized tyres for road use - Wales is a twisty place to drive .
7. Re gas consumption - my 429 came with a 4.11 rear end and 10 to the gallon. Alans Axles of Florida sold me a set of 2.75 and my gas went up to 23 mpg cruising !!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, all help needed and as soon as possible so I can get on and order the bits - thanks to all, Hugo

PS , my phone /fax is 0044-1646-697970 - if you need to fax anything.

 

Pull the engine and put it in a crate. Buy a nice 300-400 hp crate engine. The tires will spin and you mileage wont be any worse.

 

There are several forum members in the UK who might be able to help you more directly (although it sounds like you're in the far western part of the big isle). Among others, UKPaul is a good bloke who might give you some more insight from a closer-to-home perspective...

 

I would think that a little investigation should reveal why you're just not getting power with your small block. First of all, if the engine is a 1978 it's probably relatively low compression; i.e. not too much horsepower. Low compression - you'll just have live with unless you get a new engine or rebuild the one you have. Next check out the smog stuff; particularly any the vacuum advance cutoffs for the distributor. Check out the vacuum advance; no vacuum advance - retarded spark results in poor mileage and poor performance. Do you have catalytic reactor exhausts? They can become plugged and restrict air flow. This happened to me with the same symptoms - sluggish performance and terrible gas mileage. You have headers - that's good because it's easy to spot a dead/nonperforming cylinder if you have access to an imaging IR thermometer. Bad/nonperforming cylinders will be colder than others. Try removing spark plug wires while the engine is idling. Does the idle remain the same when removing a wire? (Don't shock yourself). Is the carburetor working? Do the secondaries open when you press on the accelerator? Basically if there's something wrong with the engine, you or a mechanic should be able to find it. However, I suspect that the bottom line is that if your engine compression ratio and camshaft are stock you've just got an inherently poor performing engine thanks to the smog rules of the late 1970's and lack of fuel injection technology. Did a previous message suggest a crate engine?

 

I agree I will need to take the engine apart to find out what internals it has - but assuming the worst, which cam should I go for, and will that be enough with the headers and what seems to be a good intake and carb ??
I think that all emissions stuff has gone already - engine looks devoid of clutter.
Anyone know standard 0-60 and top end ??

 

You sound desparate, get a six-pack, some patience and figure out where you want to go with this car. You've got the heavyiest Corvette ever produced and the probability is not to expect to convert it to top pro without a hugh investment of time and $.

Sounds like someone else attempted this route and failed! I like the idea of a crate motor to enjoy the car while you survey the current. Also, I would recommend investing in some C3 books to figure out what you have and their specs...bookstore here has several.

 

Wouldn't that be about as fun to drive as swapping out the 429 for a six cylinder?

 

 

3 The engines are fine. No problem.
1 & 2 & 7 It's the setup. Rochester Quadrajet came on it. The Holley is not necessarily a problem. Intake & carb size needed.
4 No need for el. fans.
5 Yes, wait on that.
6 22570r15 & 25560R15 were factory.