Help! Advice on '72 BB coupe

[cnyc31976]

Anything I should be wary about a '72 - 454 - 4spd coupe ?

Its a project with a GOOD frame, decent body, needs paint and a little more minor work. Needs a complete interior, engine needs to be put back together, has A/C. Mileage unknown at this time.

Thanks in advance for any & all replies.

Scott

 

[baxsom]

i have the 72 BB and the only things model specific i didnt like was the drop in hp. the heads supposedly are not the greatest. also if you plan on doing any type of intake swap be wary of hood clearance issues.

the intake and heads off of a 427 supposedly are great swaps that really wake the engine up and fit under the stock hood.

 

[cnyc31976]

Bax -
Thanks for the reply. If I do get the car, I'm torn between keeping it as stock as possible or using that suggested 427 intake for more power. What are some other options to do with existing intake ? "port, polish, ....? " I guess time will tell, I'd really like to put headers & side pipes on it too.... Who knows. it'll be fun either way.

 

[baxsom]

you can always do what i did. the only aftermarket intake that you can use and still maintain the stock hood is the edelbrock torker II. Even then i had to go with a 1 inch drop base and a 2.75 inch filter. if you dont mind switching over to a holley carb its a good investment i think. the torker is a single plane intake so a lot of people will say that it will have idling and off idle take off problems but mine runs so much better now than with the original 454 cast intake and qjet.i am sure that a lot of it has to do with a poorly tuned quadrajet but finding a tuner locally proved impossible and is what prompted the whole swap in the first place). the torker has a higher powerband (like 2500) than oem but with the torque of a 454 i never noticed. in fact some threads here have shown that the stock intake is so poor that when dynod next to the torker there was a 15hp increase across the entire rpm range.

My car came with the 427 heads already on it so that may be part of the performance increase i got with the new intake. I have hedman headers in the garage just waiting to be installed as well. i wanted sidepipes but i new the first time the wife burnt her leg would be the last time she ever rode in it. instead i went with the 2.5 inch magnaflow system from corvette central.

 

[6880 Mike]

Numbers match?

 

[cnyc31976]

Numbers match?

Absolutely 4 spd w/ A/C, but no power brakes

 

[baxsom]

Numbers match?

i never understood why this is a big deal. so it has the same block now as it did 30 years ago.

if you dont plan on ever reselling or showing then numbers matching really is meaningless.

not to mention simple mods like intake and headers can be reveresed easily if you ever did decide to sell it. then agaiin chances are the buyer will probably just put them back on. but then again i am new to the whole corvette thing.

 

[cnyc31976]

i never understood why this is a big deal. so it has the same block now as it did 30 years ago.

if you dont plan on ever reselling or showing then numbers matching really is meaningless.

not to mention simple mods like intake and headers can be reveresed easily if you ever did decide to sell it. then agaiin chances are the buyer will probably just put them back on. but then again i am new to the whole corvette thing.

The big deal is "originality" and I guess market value for either insurance or resell. Whether I keep it for life as original or "mod" it up a little, it'll just be reassuring to know that the car is complete and "original". Its difficult to describe, but ultimately the owner decides what to do to the car. I may change some things and keep the original components or keep it as is. Those decisions will come later (spring '09).

The last time I owned a 'Vette I was 19 yrs. old, sold it a couple of years later to get married, now I'm 45 and I'm not waiting until I'm 60+ to get back into it.

How new are you to the "Corvette" thing ? (oops I guess I should nave read your sig. before typing this) :bash

 

[baxsom]

funny,
insurance didnt care my engine wasnt original. (its a CE stamped one)

new to corvettes. not new to old cars.
i own my vette, a 68 mustang, 67 camaro and am currently looking at an old GTO. personally, i look beyond the numbers to the car. i dont give a rats behind if the numbers match. the only thing i care about is that the engine is the original size. if it is supposed to have a 289 or a 454 then it needs to have a 289 or a 454.

all i worry about is enjoying the car, not about the numbers stamped on otherwise identical parts.

 

[6880 Mike]

...Absolutely 4 spd w/ A/C, but no power brakes...

Sounds like a keeper.

 

[cnyc31976]

Here's some pics:

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What would you pay ? :cool

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