L98 is nothin more than a sbc with a shnazzy intake. I too like working on carb motors. My old '77 pinto was a breeze to work on.
Do you do this?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 446
Likes: 1
From: Punta Gorda Florida
Do you do this?
My dad looks at my corvette like it is not able to be worked on because of the advanced technology.
He's a carb, and points kinda guy.
So When you see the new C6 cars do you freak out? Or are you one to break open the covers?
I look at my dad's 73 convert like i always have
. and he looks at mine the same way! Pop the hood on his and there's fenders!! 
. Pop the hood on my 88 and he likes the fenderless look and work space that his doesnt have... then he see's the wires, and intake, then he goes 
. "don't touch that, what are you doing!?! there could be a gasket behind that! don't mess with it we'll have a mechanic work on it!!" so after he leaves or goes to sleep the "wrench fairies" get to work on tweaking, changing, and replacing misc parts. then the next day it's mystically different 
. Eventually he's worn down on the fact that I'm able to work on this fuel injected motor. In reality the L98 is basically a sbc with a different intake system, IMO.
Anyone experienced this? Or have a story about it?
It's amusing to me
He's a carb, and points kinda guy.
So When you see the new C6 cars do you freak out? Or are you one to break open the covers?
I look at my dad's 73 convert like i always have
. and he looks at mine the same way! Pop the hood on his and there's fenders!! . Pop the hood on my 88 and he likes the fenderless look and work space that his doesnt have... then he see's the wires, and intake, then he goes . "don't touch that, what are you doing!?! there could be a gasket behind that! don't mess with it we'll have a mechanic work on it!!" so after he leaves or goes to sleep the "wrench fairies" get to work on tweaking, changing, and replacing misc parts. then the next day it's mystically different . Eventually he's worn down on the fact that I'm able to work on this fuel injected motor. In reality the L98 is basically a sbc with a different intake system, IMO. Anyone experienced this? Or have a story about it?
It's amusing to me
Last edited by Vetster88; Nov 22, 2006 at 02:09 PM.
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
From: audubon pa
I agree that the L98 is nothing more than a SBC with another intake. Unfortunately, with all the sensors, etc. required to run the injection, its a bit more complicated to troubleshoot. Like your father, I love carbed engines-----you can get in there, make some adjustments and the thing runs great.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 17,640
Likes: 1
From: Lenoir City TN
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
I agree that the L98 is relatively a easy animal to work on, but if I were to pop the hood on a '06 Z06 I would probably cringe, would I try to work on it if needed? Yes. But the issues I have is so many sensors, you have to have all this diagnostic crap to analyze what problem might be present. I like it easy: fuel, spark & air at the correct time with no computer control.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
In my younger day I'd rebuilt my share of 4-B carbs; fortunately my 1st FI car was an '86 IROC-Z back in '97. That was enough "inspiration" to start the long and enjoyable trip down the learning curve.
I now own the '88 Vette and an '88 IROC-Z and feel totally at home doing all my repairs, mods and tuning on either.
If I were to own say a C6 it would be no different. The 1st "tool" would be the GM Shop Manual for the car and I would soon be at home under the hood there too.
I look at life as a learning curve so each new technology is a challenge not a threat nor a chore.
I now own the '88 Vette and an '88 IROC-Z and feel totally at home doing all my repairs, mods and tuning on either.
If I were to own say a C6 it would be no different. The 1st "tool" would be the GM Shop Manual for the car and I would soon be at home under the hood there too.
I look at life as a learning curve so each new technology is a challenge not a threat nor a chore.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
Likes: 22
From: San Diego, Ca
Each to their own - Carbs aren't coming back. Take the mystery out of it for your Dad and buy him Ben Watson's Chevy Fuel Injection. Easy to understand and a lot of the basic theory is still being used today. I don't know of any killer apps on the horizon either. Volvo promises a solenoid activated valve train (yippee no cam to change or valves to adjust with infinite tuning possibilities), but the building blocks will be the same. Stick a sensor somewhere and let electrons control the event.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
I have no fear of digging into an LS engine, they are pretty simple.
Now, the electronics end of a C6....Sheesh, can you imagine the threads in C5 and C6 tech 10 years from now as the electronics get older?
More and more Im drawn to the earlier SBCs and cars in general, they are just simpler for dummies like me.
Now, the electronics end of a C6....Sheesh, can you imagine the threads in C5 and C6 tech 10 years from now as the electronics get older?
More and more Im drawn to the earlier SBCs and cars in general, they are just simpler for dummies like me.