'76 350 Rebuild

[Jake1798]

PLEASE DELETE

 

[GTR1999]

You can build your 350 to 400hp without stroking it. Stroked engines produce more torque and HP but the question is what do you want to do with the car?

Gary

 

[Jake1798]

Well just as an every day driver..I mean I'm not taking it out to the track or anything, but I still want the power. One thing that really bugs me is how high I have to rev the engine once I'm passed 70MPH in fourth gear. I had already thought about putting a different transmission in there but was advised just to put more power under the hood instead, for the money it would cost.

-Jake

 

[GTR1999]

Jake,
What RPM are you running at 70 mph? If you have a 76 base w auto you shoudl have 308's or 336's w/4spd. If you don't like the high rev then more HP isn't going to help.Using an overdrive or changing the gears would dro th eRPM at cruise but then you need to think about what you want as all the rdrivetrain must work together. What tranny/gears do you have and what speed/RPM are going to cruise at?

 

[Jake1798]

Gary,

Not exactly sure what RPM I'm hitting at 70. My tach kicked the bucket last year lol, have to get that fixed in the spring. I think I have 336s with the 4spd. I'm not an extremely mechanical person so you'll find that there are many things I don't know about the car. Just had the tranny rebuilt last year so I won't be changing that anytime soon. I have a 264 Super T10 gear set and I tend to cruise 75-80MPH...and just watch the gas guage fall

-Jake

 

[GTR1999]

My buddy has the same car and he too didn't like the 336's. He had me setup a 273 gear against my advice, But he loves it. I haven't driven the car but he said the offline performance isn't bad at all and he loves the highway RPM.

I'd go over the whole thought you have on the car and really think about what you want to do.

Thanks,
Gary

 

[ruby76]

I 2nd the tranny or gear swap. I loved the 308's I put in place of the 411's in my old truck - didn't use it for pulling or racing so the lower highway rpms were great!!! My 76 has either 355 or 373 cause I run 3000-3500 at 70mph

 

[GTR1999]

sounds like 370 gears or 373 aftermarket gears. our 373's run 3400 @70 with 225-70x15 tires.

You know, for a street car - a good set of heads and cam to match those gears and tranny is about the best of both worlds. $1,000 vs $3,000 for a 5 spd kit. The blueprinted differentials I do run about $1,200, although you can get a lesser job for about $900:eyerole

In your case, you have a good running car with a low mileage engine- I'd spend the money on gas and drive it everywhere you can,while you can.

Don't get caught up in the HP numbers game,there's always someone faster out there but for every 1 who's faster there are 1,000 who would take the car the way it is and be very pleased.

Good luck and enjoy the car.

Gary

 

[Jack]

Sage advice from Gary/GTR1999 ... from a guy who builds & sells diffs ... but didn't try to sell you ... I'd pay some heed. I also agree with his take on the situation.
JACK:gap

 

[Jake1798]

Thanks..I think you're right. There are other things on the car that need to be fixed, I guess I might as well spend the money on those and gas for now. You just saved me a ton of money .

-Jake

 

[craig32]

Good call, Jake. I agree with Jack (agreeing with Gary) I don't really understand why people want to 'save the original engine' while they jeopardize the car by putting in 400+ HP. It would be a shame to wreck the car and only have the original engine left. If I were going to make a street screamer, I wouldn't put it in a 30 year old car considered by many to be a 'rolling work of art' Take care of it and fix what it needs. The nice thing about a Corvette is you can only take one person with you, and the girl always wins! Just my opinion.

Craig

PS - Cranbrook BC, birthplace of hockey star Steve Yzerman, right?

 

[DrewZap]

I am in the midst of the same "looking to get HP" outta my 74. i have done some scrounging and found a reasonably priced set of 492 Heads that have 64cc chambers, and am getting a modest camshaft to go with the increased flow and compression. Standard topping of aluminium intake and holley carb with a pertronix ignition conversion with MSD coil to assist in the burning, 400hp should be readily reached with drivability not compromised. Under average driving, fuel consumption should be about the same due to the ease of the engine pushing the portly Vette around with its new found hp, but when the throttle is pushed hard...it will become a monster of sorts and return the smile to your face.
Just my 2 cents, but search your soul for what you truly want to do with your car and go from there.
Drew

 

[arcticvette]

PS - Cranbrook BC, birthplace of hockey star Steve Yzerman, right?

you know your stuff--Steve Yzerman was born on May 9, 1965 in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada.