time for a rebuild
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,352
Likes: 3,253
From: Hartford WI
Reuse your crank. If you want 10:1 compression you'll need new pistons. Most piston sets come with rings. Have the block bored / honed as appropriate.
You can reuse the rods but if you intend on having them resized / rebuilt you'll soon come to the conclusion that new rods are an inexpensive alternative.
Take everything, damper, crank, rods, rod bearings, pistons, rings, flywheel / flex plate in and have it balanced as an unit. The result will be a very nice rotating assembly that won't break the bank.
Personally from your posts, I'd forget about the lower engine, unless of course you find excessive wear or damage to the cylinder wall. Pull the heads, have the heads rebuilt, get new head gaskets, and reassemble the engine. Then drive it until it starts to show excessive oil consumption or blow by past the rings, which could be another 100,000 miles down the road.
Take a good look at the cam and lifters, they don't last forever and if either show any sign of wear, replace them.
You can reuse the rods but if you intend on having them resized / rebuilt you'll soon come to the conclusion that new rods are an inexpensive alternative.
Take everything, damper, crank, rods, rod bearings, pistons, rings, flywheel / flex plate in and have it balanced as an unit. The result will be a very nice rotating assembly that won't break the bank.
Personally from your posts, I'd forget about the lower engine, unless of course you find excessive wear or damage to the cylinder wall. Pull the heads, have the heads rebuilt, get new head gaskets, and reassemble the engine. Then drive it until it starts to show excessive oil consumption or blow by past the rings, which could be another 100,000 miles down the road.
Take a good look at the cam and lifters, they don't last forever and if either show any sign of wear, replace them.
True,
If you rebuild, you might as well balance the assembly. It can't be that expensive when you consider how many rotations the motor has to go and the better longevity you get.
Agreed. Except for the fact that I don't trust the OEM short block. They weren't engineered to last. I had oil consumption in 2 L98 motors under 100K. Of course, I do beat them so you can granny it and make it last.
Cam I would check the spec if I were so inclined to reuse. Lifters go into the trash.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,482
Likes: 195
From: folsom california
The reason I mentioned the cam is that the surface on the cam lobe is only hardened for a couple of thousandths deep...once the wear gets past that, the soft metal underneath erodes away very rapidly...same thing for the rollers on the lifters.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,352
Likes: 3,253
From: Hartford WI
Any time you start mixing and matching after market parts, on an engine that gonna see any RPM's at all, the lower end should be balanced....probably true with OEM parts too.
The reason I mentioned the cam is that the surface on the cam lobe is only hardened for a couple of thousandths deep...once the wear gets past that, the soft metal underneath erodes away very rapidly...same thing for the rollers on the lifters.
The reason I mentioned the cam is that the surface on the cam lobe is only hardened for a couple of thousandths deep...once the wear gets past that, the soft metal underneath erodes away very rapidly...same thing for the rollers on the lifters.
I'm sure the lifters are OK most times but seeing as how you have to remove it to get at the cam, I'd hate to have to go back in to replace the lifters. If they were solid, fine. Hydraulic rollers, I'd probably not chance it on a 30 you motor.
7th Gear
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
The OP's handle is "rather b driving". if that's true, imo you should replace the head gasket and drive it. save the cam and the pistons until you have the money to buy what you want, be it an upgraded engine, or an upgraded car.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: lawrence NJ
thanks for the advise everyone. I was thinking 'I've gone this far, why not a fat cam ....? After reading this feed back I will probably just do the head gaskets. it ran fine before this , I am going to put it back together properly, drive it little and put it up for sale in the spring. I may look at a c5 then . Are they that much faster, or easier to mod ? 
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,352
Likes: 3,253
From: Hartford WI
thanks for the advise everyone. I was thinking 'I've gone this far, why not a fat cam ....? After reading this feed back I will probably just do the head gaskets. it ran fine before this , I am going to put it back together properly, drive it little and put it up for sale in the spring. I may look at a c5 then . Are they that much faster, or easier to mod ?
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,470
Likes: 763
thanks for the advise everyone. I was thinking 'I've gone this far, why not a fat cam ....? After reading this feed back I will probably just do the head gaskets. it ran fine before this , I am going to put it back together properly, drive it little and put it up for sale in the spring. I may look at a c5 then . Are they that much faster, or easier to mod ?
- smart move - 
with the C5 thing. from a technical standpoint, in stock form, a faster car, but easier to mod - ??? - probably, but I really don't know. ultimately, what are you going to, or what do you want to do with the car? think out the "mod" thing. if your everyday thing is daily driving, and an occasional Saturday night cruise-in, leave it be. keep it clean, well maintained and in a proper state of tune, and enjoy the car. as said, a C5Z in stock form is a great bang for the buck, and will probably outperform 99% of all the cars on the road. more performance than most people will ever need! unless you are serious about tracking the car, are knowledgeable and talented with deep pockets, then have at the mod thing. however, note a few key words in some of the posts - black hole - money pits. (BTW, just my opinion and 2-cents, FWIW). 
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,352
Likes: 3,253
From: Hartford WI
- smart move - with the C5 thing. from a technical standpoint, in stock form, a faster car, but easier to mod - ??? - probably, but I really don't know. ultimately, what are you going to, or what do you want to do with the car? think out the "mod" thing. if your everyday thing is daily driving, and an occasional Saturday night cruise-in, leave it be. keep it clean, well maintained and in a proper state of tune, and enjoy the car. as said, a C5Z in stock form is a great bang for the buck, and will probably outperform 99% of all the cars on the road. more performance than most people will ever need! unless you are serious about tracking the car, are knowledgeable and talented with deep pockets, then have at the mod thing. however, note a few key words in some of the posts - black hole - money pits. (BTW, just my opinion and 2-cents, FWIW). Corvette Stories
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Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
The Cam specs
thanks Aklim,
I would like to know how much lift cam the stock heads take ? 480 ? I am looking at rebuild kits n such to get a good idea of whats what. A comp cam I am interested in advertises 480 int / 488 exh lift . Could the stock heads work with that without binding or spring problems ?
I would like to know how much lift cam the stock heads take ? 480 ? I am looking at rebuild kits n such to get a good idea of whats what. A comp cam I am interested in advertises 480 int / 488 exh lift . Could the stock heads work with that without binding or spring problems ?
CompCam: 210 220 114*500 510 p/n 07-304-8 for stock LT1, according to compcam a "noticeable increase over stock cam". Go to their page to verify. I have a 93 C4 and dropping in a top end kit rated at 430HPs. Once you start it doesn't get any cheaper... trust me.
Last edited by GJ Camacho; Jan 6, 2016 at 04:10 PM. Reason: more info
