vizkiz

Let me start with some history:
My dad had 1 of 20 1967 Corvette L88s made The L88 was 427/430 (really 427/560hp, with some as high as 600hp. Chevrolet actually discouraged people from buying (because it was practically a race car) it by sticking on a $947 price tag for the L88 option. Many people ordered the L71 thinking that they were getting the faster, more powerful model. He bought it in the early 70's and had fun with it. One day, while coming around the curve near our house, he slide sideways into a tree. He was going 65mph, but he and my grandfather told the cop that he was going 35mph, so that's what was on the police report. He found out too late that he could have sued the town because there was sand on the road. Shortly after, he sold it. I asked an automobile auctioneer about what it would be worth today in good condition (my dad takes GREAT care of his cars), and he said probably between $150-$200k.

Anyway, back to my original point.
My dad just got a Black 1984 C4 with the crossfire fuel injection engine for us to have some fun with. He paid only $2500 for it and it's in pretty good condition. It needs a new glass top because there is a corner broken off (don't worry, it will be garaged), and transmission (Overdrive doesn't work, and it slips a little if you hit the gas hard in drive, it also has been rebuilt once already, so we're gonna probably go with a new one) and those are the only major problems with it.
I did have two questions though:

How good is the crossfire engine?
And I thought it was only 205 hp, is it?

I'll post some pics as soon as we get around to buying a digital camera.


[Modified by vizkiz, 4:45 PM 1/23/2002]

Black84

First, welcome to CF. As for how good the L83 Crossfire engine is... That all depends on what you want the car for. It is a reliable engine and the 84 is a good "Boulevard Cruiser" but stay clear of any speed contests.

JonM

Yes the 84 is a 350 cubic inches, 205 horsepower engine. The crossfire has never given me any problems. Its pretty simple to work on. I just did a complete restore on mine. (see link below) You will find lots of parts discontinued, so you will probably end up searching on e bay or here in the parts section.

vader86

i'm not goin to lie to you, i dont like the Xfire. It was a revolutionary engine when it came out but the whole injection system is poor and the car doesnt have enough power, youd have to change to a carb to get anything out of it and i dont like that.

vizkiz

Wow, I wasn't expecting to be replied to so soon!
Thanks for the advice, and if anybody else has any, keep it coming.

GiDvEtTe84

Welcome to the Corvette obession! As we all know, when someone asks the question "Is crossfire injection good or bad?", the same thing always happens, some say "RUN!!!" and other say, its just as good as all the others. Most crossfire owners will tell you that it is a great system. The injection system itself is just fine. It is designed from the crossram of the 69 (i think) camaro. The only thing is, chevy sabotaged the intake and the heads to NOT run as well as it should, so that the TPI system would look more like a god. This is only a theory. There are planty of guys who make crossfires run like demons. Most people that say crossfire is a POS dont know anything about it. I suggest you take a trip to this site, www.crossfire.webhop.net I am a moderator there. There are guys who have well over 300 hp using CFI. Anything and everything you want to know about CFI is there for the taking, all free info and even a FAQ. Come check it out!! You wont be sorry! :cheers:


[Modified by GiDvEtTe84, 4:59 PM 1/22/2002]

blk90rdstr

I had an 84 and enjoyed it very much. Agreed, its no race car but its low and loud and very good looking. Plus consider the hindsight you had with that 67. Think about how many 84's have been butchered, wrecked, destroyed. It wont be long till a original 84 is harder to find. It is a respresentation of its era and was still very advanced of its predisesors. Because of its high production numbers it may not be a high yeild investment but I bet it will be worth more than what theyre giving some away now for. :)

Justin1984

I bought my 84 because it had low miles, it's un-molested - all original, and it was a tremendous bargain at $8K. The CFI has not given me any problems. I agree to stay away from speed contests, but it is not a complete slouch, either. Great way to get into a Corvette, IMHO.

BTW welcome to the forum :cheers:

mikes84vette

i have to agree with everyone else. the L83 seem to be a good reliable motor. it has good low end torque, but then begins to fall off in the upper range. the stats for the 84 are:
205hp
0-60 6.8 secs
1/4 15.2 @92 i think?

i never have had my car clocked at a strip but i belive it is no 15 sec. car it feels more like a mid 14

Nitro Junkie

See my sig for crossfire stats. This is with VERY little modifications. Stock heads and exhaust.

vettedave

Cross Fire Injection was affectionately known as Catch Fire Injection a few years after they came out ('82) . They used it in Camaros too. The injectors had a
habit of leaking. My hood has the scars to prove it. (keep your eye on 'em).

The basic engine is the same good old Chevy 350 though.
The manifold itself is the biggest problem as far as horsepower goes.
It won't like it much above five grand.

I plan on extensive mods on mine . But I nknew what I had from the start.
Good luck with yours.
:cheers:


[Modified by vettedave, 8:15 PM 1/22/2002]

Nathan Plemons

Hmm. That's a new one to me. I've heard of "MisFire Injection".

If I had a lot of money I'd like to have a Crossfire and see what could be done with it. I'm sure theres all kinds of pontential in there. A good set of heads and a better intake manifold and it would probably be pretty strong.

Justin1984

I've never heard either. Anybody else have their crossfire catch on fire? :confused: :confused:

GiDvEtTe84

I never have. That must have been a one in a million fire, the one that started the rumors. :seeya

The Gooch

There is one more rumor to add to the legend. I've never heard that one. As far as leaking throttle bodies, I don't have that problem and my car is original with 93,000 miles. It's kind of fun to have a car that everyone is so passionate about....pro or con :cheers:

Jim85IROC

In Camaro-land it's called cease-fire injection. The Camaro 305s with the crossfire had a whopping 165 horsepower and was prone to having the throttle blades sieze. That probably wasn't a problem with vettes because they're rarely winter-driven, and they didn't have the hood vents like the 82 Camaros did.

While it's true that you can build horsepower with those motors, it's not at all cost effective when you consider what a 4bbl intake & carb costs.

GiDvEtTe84

Crossfire is just throttle body injection with a different manifold so the two injectors have their own throttle body. If it werent for that, it would be just like the TB 350's that come in trucks. :yesnod:

vizkiz

Thanks for all of your thoughts and information.
The only non-original part (besides filters, and probably the belts) are the wheels. The wheel that are on it are the same as the ones on this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...966723&r=0&t=0, but with the center covers.

It has 118k miles and still runs great!


[Modified by vizkiz, 9:17 PM 1/31/2002]

bogus

my brother had a 67 also... his was the L71, tho... neat car!!!! he had his from 1980-86.

as for the Xfire... as mentioned, it is not a performance monster... but it is a torque monster!!! There have been some detailed articles in Corvette Fever or Vette - I don't remember - that outline some performance mods. Intake manifold and throttlebody upgrades, plus cam and such... they got about 270rwhp from the Xfire!

The other option... build a 383 stroker and add an aftermarket FI system. I prefer FI over carbs these days... just much more refined and much easier to mass inspection with!!!

yoslambo1@cs.com

i never had any problems with my crossfire(until i started adding mods). i even smoked a few tuned ports. check out http://www.x-ram.com they have alot of info on what you can do to make the car (kinda) rip. if you want a fast car this is not the power plant. my crossfire will be out in 2 weeks. im replacing it with a 383 stroker with 430+ hp! :D good luck. :cheers: