new project...

In-F-credible !!!!!!

Well originally it was supposed to be a pleasant surprise with me planning to pick her up after a business trip.

Well the neighbors women came over for tea last night -one a notorious gossip- and somehow she got wind of the corvette and spilled the beans to my wife :mad::mad::mad: $€#%& !!!!! The unveiling was supposed to be my honor, pleasure and privilege !!!!!! Dammit !!!!

On flip side, that means as of tomorrow (day after my contest), I can start freely inspecting the car without worries of getting caught o_O

Still... what a xxxxxx nosy gossip.

I hope this aren’t low performance heads... worse... a 3-oh-why. I seem to recall the block casting number was wrong, but at least it was a 350 four bolt from 72.

I’ll check to casting ASAP
 
thats MUCH BETTER!
We are all looking forward to lots of clear detailed pictures once you get home!
be very sure,
as a general rule with any new automotive toy,
(1) you check the oil, trans fluid or coolant and brake fluid levels
,(2) the tire pressure is correct in all 4 tires,
(3) verify the fan belts are in decent shape,
(4) verify that you have the ownership documentation, the required licences
and you test the brake function, before driving.
(5) start it up and let it idle for 10 minutes and check the oil pressure
and coolant temps.
(6) try shifting it into all gears.
(7) check the signal blinkers and head lights

Thanks grumpy! Much appreciated!
 
Gentlemen. What’s the best way to determine what cylinder heads are on here and if they are semi decent?
 
Id start by pulling off both valve covers (the heads may not be identical)
looking closely at the heads, and posting the casting numbers and doing a compression check,
then re-doing a compression check after temporarily pulling the spark plugs and,
while they are out, putting a TABLESPOON of marvel mystery oil in each cylinder,
the added oil will tend to temporarily increase valve and ring seal efficiency slightly,
yes it will smoke badly for 5-6 minutes when you restart the engine ,
but it will smoke less if you let it sit for 24-36 hours ,
as much of the oil will eventually drain past the rings if given some time .

be aware that there are NO O.E.M. ,PRODUCTION SMALL BLOCK HEADS that breath at anywhere close to the flow rates available from several aftermarket heads,
YES, you can certainly improve the O.E.M. head flow through careful porting,

but its a total waste of time, and effort too assume you can duplicate or exceed the better aftermarket heads.
As your well aware you could add a supercharger and get a significant boost in power and adding a cam that matches the increased cylinder head flow, with or without boosted plenum pressure, can also provide significant power gains



useful links
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...s-to-casting-numbers-and-info.632/#post-55259

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/vin-casting-info.10474/#post-44012

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ding-sbc-crate-engine-heads.13041/#post-69328

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...r-piston-dome-or-port-volume.2077/#post-61068

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/the-new-215cc-vortec-heads.266/#post-35948

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/shopping-for-heads.10602/#post-45479

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/porting-can-help.462/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/sellecting-cylinder-heads.796/#post-49754

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ed-up-fuelie-heads-for-cheap.2099/#post-50526

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...g-vortec-heads-and-other-heads.401/#post-6078
 
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3E75CBAA-6B76-41DB-BC2A-F0C50AEE2671.jpeg 49064B4F-A723-4D80-A886-65B6B9399ECC.jpeg 4CB624A1-0F94-48CC-9588-6E62B8D75522.jpeg 1E949AB2-ABA2-4F6C-A71E-846229EB3942.jpeg C0EB4DF5-24F3-4381-B603-3B193195FBCF.jpeg So here is what we got. What looos like a piece of rubber seal under the valve cover.

882 heads and a 3970014 block
 
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I couldn’t resist taking a peak. I got back from the bodybuilding contest. I’m runner up to Mr. Belgium Masters (over 40/under 50) in the natural federation.

But my heart lies with the Bowtie. 2300 here I had to pull a valve cover. :cool:
 
Wake it up with new aluminum heads and an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake or equivalent.
And a camshaft to match.
Hard to tell, but do I see screw-in rocker studs?
 
any time you've purchased a new(too you) used muscle car,you need a good understanding of what your working with too start off.
you should start by carefully inspecting a car,s basic systems like brakes, cooling ,suspension, alignment, tires , power steering, hoses,belts, after all you'll generally have little or no idea how the cars been maintained, that's easily 45 plus years old in most cases,and without a close inspection you can,t reasonably know what needs improvements or repairs.

a close detailed inspection, will generally save you some potential problems if you take the time and effort,
if you change out the fluids,radiators can and frequently are filled with either plain water,
( which caused corrosion, or old anti-freeze that can cause particulates to form and clog the radiator interior tubes)
Id especially change the oil, and filter, and slap a big magnet on the base of the oil filter
51794.jpg

clip on a decent magnet to the base of a long oil filter helps it trap metalic trash more effectively, and while $29 may sound high its good extra insurance that potentially reduces the chances of metalic debis from getting to the bearings and valve train.
consider the cost of bearing replacement?
filtmag.png

http://www.magnet4sale.com/n42-3od-x-1id-x-1-2-neodymium-rare-earth-ring-magnet/


change the oil, and filter, and slap a big magnet on the base of the oil filter
http://www.magnet4sale.com/n42-3od-x-1id-x-1-2-neodymium-rare-earth-ring-magnet/
3ringmag.jpg

and a couple high heat tolerant magnets,
near the oil drain back cylinder head drains in the rear of each head , and its smart too change the brake fluid
(which has a nasty habit in older muscle cars of absorbing and holding moisture in suspension.)

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...himmer-in-the-oil-catch-pan.11397/#post-52207

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/magnets.120/#post-49771

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-with-fuel-in-the-lines-tank.4111/#post-72082

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/oil-filters-related-info.2080/#post-54352

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/c3-no-brake-pressure.10261/#post-41225

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/brake-fluid-info.1848/#post-16080
 
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Thank you for all that excellent feedback.

I was checking the coolant last night and indeed it seemed closer to water. The oil looked in good shape.

So far I haven’t been able to spend any quality time with the Corvette. I expect Thursday and Friday to get a few hours in… I have Thanksgiving off and will take Friday off as well.

I am still very deeply into the evaluation phase. It is tough to tell if this car was well looked after or had a hack owning it. Some bits look pretty good for 48-year-old car – other bits… less so.

I am beginning to think that the previous owner didn’t drive it too much and that avoided too much hack.

The block should be a 3970010 but it is actually a 3970014 (exact year TBD this evening). That was a corvette block, but only in 1972 to early 1973, according to my Corvette restoration guide. Misleadingly, someone stamped HX on the block pad which was the high performance L46 code. Mendacity !

The cylinder heads are 882s. That is also consistent with a 1973 L48 Corvette engine. The L48 was of course rated at a fairly anemic 190HP. One advantage of the L48 was hardened seats.

Interestingly, the intake is an early, first generation, Edelbrock Torker (with a bolt missing). This is also of the period… 1970s.

capture.jpg

The carb is an AFB but not an Edelbrock with the choke wired open. Despite the increasingly cold weather, the engine starts up fairly fast with the choke off.

The ignition is some sort of an HEI with a mechanical tach drive-and-cable strapped to it.

So it seems that at one point the high performance engine got tossed and was replaced by an L48. Considering the intake the engine might have been in this configuration for a while… this may well have happened in the 70s.

I will start a new thread later this evening as I document how I bring this vehicle to where I want it to be
 
Wake it up with new aluminum heads and an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake or equivalent.
And a camshaft to match.
Hard to tell, but do I see screw-in rocker studs?

Slapping on an Edelbrock "top end kit" + cam is tempting o_O
 
If you do build a second performance engine rather than modify your single existing original cars engine,theres some advantages, that us older geezers have come to appreciate at times.
as a general rule, its best to take your time and build a separate performance engine that you can swap into the car over a weekend, this has several advantages
(1) you will not be tying up the car, in an un-driveable condition waiting for weeks on parts to arrive or waiting on machine work to be done,
and you can always swap the original engine back into the car,
to have the car as dependable transportation while the performance engines being built or worked on.
(2) you can sell either engine separately from the car itself and still have a drive-able car.
(3)having your performance engine out on an engine stand certainly makes it far easier to work on.
(4) having a second engine available allows you to drive the car while you make repairs on the original engine
(5) if you screw something up, your not effectively stuck with a non-driveable car for long.
(6) with some experience you,ll find an engine swap between two similar engines can be done in a day , or at most a weekend by yourself,
with a skilled and experienced local buddy, some decent tools ,
and a shop with an engine crane and a lift or at least (4) 12 ton jack stands,
and a decent floor jack ..a long afternoon!
3toncrx.jpg

foldst.png

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/engine-removal.699/#post-972

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/under-car-safety.26/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-crane-and-engine-stand-mods-accesories.3724/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-prep.125/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/tbucket-engine-project-dart-shp.3814/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...paring-two-harbor-freight-engine-cranes.8566/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/you-need-decent-jack-stands.672/
 
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Agreed. We will build an engine independently. Probably I’ll build a 383.

The badge inside the car says 350 HP / 380TQ

My plan is to match and improve on that while maintaining a quality idle.

I searched for a casting date on the block but could not find any. No biggy.

On the other hand that carb has got to go. That or be rebuilt. Once it is running, within 30-60 seconds it’s fine. But maybe the pump shot is dead cuz the engine doesn’t seem to prime for starting. Hm, maybe I’ll do an electric choke conversion plus a rebuild.

Other obvious issues. The horn button doesn’t work.

The wiper door works well, but there’s an issue with the wiper arms interfering with each other and the wiper door.

Hmmm
 
I’ll be bringing the car in for tech inspection on Friday Dec 1. In the meantime I’ll have to sort out the horn. It need to beep even if I need to install a temporary auxiliary switch. And I need to install a fog light. Hmmm I need to fin a way to avoid drilling into the body or bumperette. Once I pass tech, that fog lamp is coming off.

Another odd thing, there is a push button start in kick panel.
 
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