okay i have a couple grand i can spend for engine parts for this coming summer, problem is i am not sure what my weakest links really are. it really isnt an L98 engine anymore since i bought it with tpi already removed and a torker 2 intake and edelbrock 650.."i think" carb.
i already know 90% of you will say the carb and intake are my weakest links. with that said i really have no plans of putting that back on, mainly because i have none of the parts to put on and for the cost of buying new. i figure i can just buy heads, headers cam kit..
my question is at this part of what i have, what is the main weakest part. the stock manifolds look like pretty small tubes, though they are kind of like the old ram horns which were decent. would really like a set of hooker headers and nice exhaust since the previous owner scabbed that all up as well. hooker has a sale going now. you can buy the ceramic headers for 750'ish.
are the ceramic headers even worth the extra money? can you just buy the black primered oned and paint the with the vht ceramic paint and be about the same? i just like the shiny ceramic look

as far as a cam stock cam is designed for lower rpm with tpi correct? i would bennefit greatly from a cam that would work well with a carb set up so i need higher rpm range? not really drag race rpms but i am gonna need to hit 5500 to get back my torque n stuff that i lost from the tpi being gone.. from what i have read anyways.

then the heads.. just how much power can you actualy make with the stock vette heads? i already know the springs will not hold much of a cam but i guess changing springs is pretty easy. i could pull the heads and clean em all up with a vlave job in the garage and swap springs out myself.. and a case of beer or 2 over a weekend

i dont know like i said i have 2-3 grand i can throw at the vette to get it ready for summer, just kinda want to get advice from people who have been there and done that before i go buying parts. i have no intentions of going to the drag strip and trying to race, car is a convertible cruiser.. not a drag car.. i do however want it to run strong and "if i feel like smoking the tires off" i want to do it well

oh also, i might need a new clutch, maybe? i know last summer when i was cruising around it didnt like going into third gear very well. low rpms sure no problem. if i tried getting on it in second and hitting third. it wanted to grind on me. need to fix that also. hopefully it isnt the synchronizer gone. i cant imagine the cost of pulling that trans and sending it to the zf doc. when i bought it the guy told me it needed a new slave cylinder.. i just cant imagine a slave cylinder causing it to grind thrid gear only. all other gears shift fine

4'th option i guess... sell the pos and move along lol could still make money on it before i dump a bunch in it

 

2 main heads i have my eyes on are
1: afr model 1034-- all cnc'd ports and combustion chambers with 195 intake runner and 2.05 valve.. didnt really want a 2.05 valve i guess, those are good for up too .600 lift cams but those are like 1700
2: brodix IK-180-- not cnc ports and chambers with 180 intake runners and a 2.02 valve, what i had in mind i wanted.. .. good for .575 lift cams but those are only 1000...

 

sell it.

 

option 3 could be buy a rebuild kit for the 400 cid small block i have had in the garage for 15 years.. that would for sure solve my torque loss from the tpi being gone.

i think i need about another 2-3 grand lol

 

sell it huh lol trust me i have thought about it many times, never really had the dreams of owning a vette anyway. i got it for 500 bucks is the only reason i own it now

what do you think i could get out of it? all black leather interior in good condition also. 91 zf 6... 120 k on the dash

 

Pretty good for 500. 400 would be cool, true duals, you need to plan on long tubes. The 85 and earlier sbc uses different flywheel that the 86 and later models.

 

Here is your combo, from what I can tell....
The "Weak link"? It's the INTAKE MANIFOLD! You've got all "low RPM" stock stuff, topped with a single plane intake manifold?? *I* would lose the manifold and get an Edelbrock Performer RPM for that combo.

OR, I'd get headers, port the heads, get some cam in there, more carb...all to match the intake...then I'd ditch that intake and get a better, more modern single plane. So really, I'd ditch the intake. You're car didn't lose low end tq from ditching TPI; it lost it by installing a single plane intake manifold.

 

Since the TPI is already gone and the hood has been cut... Inexpensive Vortecs or something similar head wise, matching intake if needed, a 230ish/234ish cam on a 112 lsa and long tubes with a free flowing exhaust.

I am a LS swap guy but hail from the SBC world and I know that a simple combo like I stated ^^^ will make great power and torque. You would still be in the power range at 6k+ rpms and would likely love it. Also, call around and find a place to ceramic coat a cheap set of headers. You may find pricing in your local area appealing.

No need to give up on this $500 Vette unless you think mid 300s at the wheel is unappealing. In that case, sell it and move to a different platform.

 

krusty those brodix ik 180 heads should be comparable to a vortec style but some what better even right? for 1000 dollars i probably won't find a better mild head upgrade. i looked at the lingerfelter web site, he wants 15 or 16 hundred with a core for his head which i think are pretty much about the same things. as far as flow rates. the brodix flow 245 at .500 lift, i think the lingerfelter's are about the same.

i also think Tom is right as far as the intake goes. i would like to get an rpm air gap as well with a new holley. i'll tear it down and inspect the lifters carefully, if they are not bad with 120 k on them maybe i could get away with just a cam and timing chain, i have heard you can re-use hydraulic roller lifters if they are not scarred up, no reason they should be. the engine runs fine right now.

 

The Brodix 180s are a great head.

 

ok. good to hear. i just bought the hooker 2151's not ceramic. i got tight in the shopping cart. 300 bucks for ceramic would of been nice i guess but at a couple thousand miles a summer. i am sure the cheaper ones will be fine. also bought the pypes 40cr.. or somthing true dual x pipe sainless exhaust system and the Pypes brand collector reducers.. 1300 or so into it all is not bad i didnt think. the exhaust on the car now is all cobbled up from previous check writer guy... i will install that n tig it all up nice on the hoist when i get it..

was looking at the 282 grind comp cam also and those brodix heads, probably should have the heads milled down about .030 to get some of my compression back since they are 64 cc chambers instead of 58's. maybe mill em down to make it about 10.5? always done that the hillbilly way with an air file board but i spose to could actually pay to have it done this time
then prolly edelbrock air gapper and holley track warrior 650 or 750.

about all the money the vette can get this year. i aint rich.

maybe next winter i will start rebuilding the 400 sbc and swap it all over for the following summer

 

10:1 - 10..5:1 should work well with pump gas. What ignition system are you running? You will want to contol it well.. 15-18 initial and 34-36 total. Its gets tricky controlling an HEI or similar distributor when you have to deal with springs/bushing combos. An MSD type distributor with excellent timing controll will pay dividends.

Whatever carb you set your mind on will need interchangeable/adjustable jets for the primaries and secondaries. 650-750 will suffice.

 

i do not know what brand name distributor it is, it's new, with a red cap but i does not have any msd box or anything. they probably just bought a regular hei from summit or some place. pretty much everything the guy paid his buddy to do before i bought the car.. i have to re do.
that's why i got the car so cheap, it was his show car that him and his wife used to drive around michigan to car shows for a weekend of fun, one day it caught on fire from a fuel leak at an o-ring in the fuel rail. it must have melted all of the fuel injection stuff. the hood actually has some paint bubbled off of it where that hole is cut for the air cleaner, i cleaned that up after i bought it, they just cut some nasty not even round hole. i cleaned it up bought the 14 inch K&N air filter there and put the trim molding around the hole... cleaned it up a whole lot better than it was.. thats why he threw it all out and did what he did. but he played around with it a few years, sitting mostly. he told me it was a 100 dollar bill just to get his buiddy there to work on it, cause he himself had no idea what to do or the tools to do it.. i have a hunch him and his buddy got in a fight over it. basically the guy told me he would go buy a new one that he can drive to car shows again since the way that car is now is never going to be show car status with the carb n stuff.
i am just trying to make the most out of what i have.

i can look into an msd ignition sure, i could probably get one pretty cheap from one of the warehouse suppliers i buy from at work. i ended up finding that exhaust, the pypes SCC40R for 570, i can robably get msd for a couple hundred. what model should i look at for this?

 

thats the whole he paid his buddy to make rofl. the yellow paint marker ring is what i did for the 14 inch air cleaner. you can see the paint all bubbled up from the fire so the hood was basicly junk before they even cut it. it could of been fixed by a good fiberglass guy i'm sure though

 

This painful to watch.....sorry.

 

lol why. its just some old car. thing was 5 minutes from being a ball of fire.. i am making it a hot rod not some sweater wrap golf club cruiser, how a corvette is supposed to be isnt it?

 

650
port that torker
good 180 or ? head
Headers
270/280 isky mega cam youll love it.
basic old school will roast the tires, drive ok and sound good. Cheap

Id steer away from Comp no offense anyone.

 

I like your style! A lot of C4s are beaters, including mine, and they should be treated as such. I feel a little bad cutting up my '84 hood as it is a one year style hood but it was already hacked when I got it. Same as you. Mod it and have fun!!!

 

Its ome thing to hack up a mint car. If it's a beater who cares. The ROI on these especially is pathetic so just have fun with the thing.

 

yeah, it's the best option at that point, that fire melted all the fuel injection wires and it isnt horrible but you can for sure see the extent of that damage still. all fixable for what i am doing though. i was suprised it had a clean title as compared to a salvaged title, he must of not turned it on to his insurance company. probably didnt want the rates of his other 10 cars to go up i guess. who knows. the guy was a pretty cool older. 65-70 yr old dude and said he was glad i had the ability to fix it up.
you can see all those white bubbles where the paint melted. everyone here who reads this really should be checking your engines for a fuel leak at the rails. or you could quite possibly be in the same situation i am..

FYI i would hardly say this car is a beater to be honest, it's extremely clean inside and out, underneath every is damn near mint.. minus fire damage under the hood.. the car was his show car.
some day i will see a hood scoop or something to cover that eye soar up that everyone hates here so much, but to be honest when i drive it around, everyone compliments it in person. never owned a car before that every time i drive it, every where i go. people say man nice ride.. or wow that car is beautiful..