Sounds like fun! My only warning is that budget and race car are only in the same sentence before the project is begun! 
"how fast do you want to spend?" was the wisdom someone shared with me.
Budget Race Car
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 29
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From: Lawrence Kansas
Budget Race Car
Hey guys, I have a question for you all. My dad and I are looking into building a budget race car using a C4 (earlier years like the mid to late 80's). We are shooting for somewhere in the 500 hp range. My question is what kind of motors will fit in the C4 with very little if any major modification needed (like frame and crossmember mods). We were planning on doing a Procharger running around 10 to 12 psi for boost, nothing too crazy since we want to be able to drive it on the street with pump gas. Can a stock LT1 or L98 hold up to this kind of boost or how much modification would be required? We would like to keep the engine cost down to $6000 or less. Are there any 500 horse crate motors out there that would fit in the C4 for this kind of money? Thanks for your help.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,376
Likes: 111
From: Cherokee National Forest TN
For straight line racing find a cheap Suburban around a '77 with a 454 big block. Freshen the motor & put a 671 blower on it. Easy 600 hp for short money & the motor will live for awhile.
Zig zag's are another story. You need a small block to maintain front to rear weight bias. Nose heavy cars plow the fields in tight corners.
If your going racing build to win & to heck with taking it to the drive in to impress the kiddies.
Zig zag's are another story. You need a small block to maintain front to rear weight bias. Nose heavy cars plow the fields in tight corners.
If your going racing build to win & to heck with taking it to the drive in to impress the kiddies.
Last edited by Churchkey; Nov 14, 2008 at 10:50 PM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 29
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From: Lawrence Kansas
Haha, yeah, I'm aware that budget and race don't really go together so well. We were kind of planning on a dual race kind of thing. We want to be able to autocross it in SCCA stuff (not necessarily really competitive, more just for fun), but also have enough grunt to show up people on the strip. Kind of a sleeper car. I figured the 383 was the way to go, just didn't know how cheap you could come up with a good one and if it would fit between the framerailes without too much headache. This car might also be me dad's daily driver replacement, so it might be a while before it sees more upgrades for racing like suspension stuff. Can the stock transmission hook up to a 383 or would we have to look for something else? And I guess I would say that it's not that it needs to be "driveable" on the street, more just street legal (if it were my car that is) 
Pro
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: middle of Illinois
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,838
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From: Australia
Several have done LS conversions.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...read-pics.html
BBC done also but adding weight to front end
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Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2008
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From: Lawrence Kansas
Yeah, I was reading about some LS1 conversions, we had that in mind for a while, but from what I've seen that's way more work than we really wanted. We were looking for more of a straight drop in, preferably even without having to change motor mounts if we could get away with it. Definately no frame trimming or crossmember mods for the trans though if at all possible. Does the stock manual trans bolt up to a crate 383 or would we have to look into getting a new one to match?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2008
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From: Lawrence Kansas
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,171
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From: Warwick RI
It sounds like you and your Dad have a great time ahead so enjoy
(root beer)
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 29
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From: Lawrence Kansas
Okay, I've got another question for those in the know. We're might end up having to look for a trans to replace the stock 4 speed. We're looking for a 5 or 6 speed, any idea what will fit? I assume a later model C4 would bolt in without much headache, but I don't know too much about them, I'm actually a C3 guy myself.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,488
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Building 500chp is not a problem but the Dana 36 is on borrowed time when you start hooking up the power. Any SBC will drop right in including a 454 s.b.c. as well as a big block. Look underneath a C4 there is no crossmember just a big c beam connecting the trans to the rearend. If it were me I would look for a six speed car so you start with a Dana 44 rear end and avoid the 700R4 as well, shifting is fun in an overpowered car.
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 32,782
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From: Former NCM Drag Racing coordinator, National director Corvette Challenge Spring Hill, Tennessee: Whiting, New Jersey
Cruise-In VI Veteran
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Drifting
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,491
Likes: 6
From: Portland Oregon
You'll come out way ahead if you buy a modified car to begin with. How bout this one, 500 supercharged HP and a six speed: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4s-...ercharged.html
Here's another example - someone got a deal on this one: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4s-...verything.html
Here's another example - someone got a deal on this one: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4s-...verything.html
Last edited by locobob; Nov 16, 2008 at 11:27 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2006
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From: E. Amherst NY
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,279
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From: Delray beach FL
Looking at such low prices for some nice cars in the C4 for sale section, instead of shooting 6000 in a motor plus plus plus I would first look at some already sharp cars needding few maintenance....
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4s-...ercharged.html
this one is stuning.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4s-...ercharged.html
this one is stuning.
Last edited by frenchyoliver; Nov 16, 2008 at 01:24 PM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 29
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From: Lawrence Kansas
Yeah, I understand what you all are saying. I think some of it is that my dad and I have always kind of wanted a project car that we could could work on. We bought my brother a 69 Charger a few years back and rebuilt a junkyard 440 for it that was a lot of fun, but it was also somewhat of a hassle because the car was poorly put together by the person before us. It didn't help that the rest of the driveline wasn't exactly up to the new power either (it's amazing how much people want for an 8 3/4 posi rear end). We ended up selling the car to someone in Holland who was going to make a General Lee out of it. We also quickly found that parts for a Charger were not cheap or easy to come by.