TheMushine

Hey I'm thinking about purchasing a 88 Corvette Convertible, Triple Black 6 speed..but I have a question...which engine is it? Is it the LT1? What kind of horsepower are we talking??

moffitt

That would be an L98 with 235 hp.

The Example

I second that motion......with a vengance!

Looking at low/mid 14s in the quarter-mile.

lcvette

1988 convertible is an L98 motor, it is a roller motor with aluminum heads. horsepower for an 88' is in the 250-255 range but don't let this deter you, the L98 is a torque motor, and is a stout car. from stop light to stop light it is very quick. i would learn as much about the different year corvettes beforte making a final purchase decision. there is some variety between the C4 corvette, 84-96 the LT1 motor was introduced in 92 and the body style change to the square tail lights cam in 91. the updated interior was introduced in 90. these are some different things to consider when looking into making a vette purchase. im sure more people will chime in with more info for you, if your interested in vettes, i would go to barnes and noble, they have a history of the corvette book that carefully notes the updates from year to year and from that you should be able to decide what your budget and tastes will allow. i advise you to shop around, i wound up waiting and found a great deal on a 95 six speed, somewhere in the high 12's, but i had been waiting and looking persisitant;y for a year. in any event there is no wrong corvette or bad corvette to buy, as long as they are in good condition and your happy with them. welcome to the forum and good luck with you info search.

chris

TheMushine

If i supercharged it..what kind of time am i looking at? and how much hp would i gain?

moffitt

It would be much faster!
You would get to work on it much more often.
If your young and have lots of time and money, it would not be an issue!

scorp508

You can't just "supercharge" a car. What sort of boost are you planning on running? Maybe then we could give you figures. [img]http]//www.corvetteforum.cc/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

gears

They didnt put the 6 speeds in till 89,so it must be a 4+3.

Z52 L98

1988 is a great year. With some bolt on air flow and ignititon mods, my automatic convertible turns in the 14.3s at 101 MPH with the stock 2.73 rear gear on street tires -- and gets 26 MPG on the highway "in air condiditoned comfort"!!

Take a closer look though. The six speed ZF was not introduced until 1989. The manual tranny in 1988 is a Doug Nash 4+3. I've never owned one, but the 4+3 is a four speed with electronic over drive in each of the top three gears and from what I have read supposedly is somewhat quirky [img]http]//www.corvetteforum.cc/ubb/confused.gif[/img] -- 4+3 drivers check in and correct this if wrong.

88L98

88 is a damn good year. my bone stock engine with just a k&n and muffler elims i managed to pull off a 13.67 in the quarter mile with new street tires. i have the 3.07 gears with an auto.

mooncricket

88' is a great year. I have the 4+3, and the torque can only be described as phenominal through all the gears from the bottom up with nothing but Flowmasters (SOUNDS GREAT AS WELL!!!). I'm comparing to my recently purchased bone stock 92' LTI/auto, which is more of a high rpm motor that I think would be better suited to a manual trans.

The 4+3 is in fact quirky and expensive to repair (I had mine done), and also the original trans for an 88'. If your new purchase 88' has the six speed, it has most likely been changed. The shifter assembly is mounted to the tunnel, a section of the tunnel which must be chopped out to install the six speed for clearance, so I've been told.

Just keep this in mind if you're thinking of originality, and BUY IT AND HAVE FUN!!!

1Patriot

I had an 88 coupe, 4+3, Z51, and I loved the way it smokes getting away from red lights. Off and running like a light. Put 125+ thousand miles on it without any drivetrain problems. Son is still driving it with great success and no repairs to the tranny.