Help! Corvette Noob! Need advice

[MikeDavid]

Just bought a 74 coupe. 4 speed manual 350/195. It's in great shape, needs a paint job but no urgency. Runs flawlessly, everything is good on it. Have all the parts for the new front suspension but need to put the work in. My questions are simple; what can I do to get more horsies? obviously its all about speed just need suggestions on what to get and where to get them at a relatively decent price. New intake? exhaust? headers? camshaft? carb? I'm not very car savvy as of yet, still learning. Any advice would be great, thanks.

 

[ykf7b0]

The best bang for the buck would be an entry level NOS 125 Power Shot. With that being said the possibilities are endless as for as the 350 goes. In a nutshell you want to increase the compression, get air and fuel into the engine faster then send the spent gasses out faster. This is very vague but its the basics.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Before you run out and buy a 125-shot of nitrous for a 40-year old engine, tell us:

1) What's your budget
2) What level of engine performance do you desire?

 

[bill81vette]

Welcome to CAC!!
enjoy!!!!

more speed =more $$$$$

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Just bought a 74 coupe. 4 speed manual 350/195. It's in great shape, needs a paint job but no urgency. Runs flawlessly, everything is good on it. Have all the parts for the new front suspension but need to put the work in. My questions are simple; what can I do to get more horsies? obviously its all about speed just need suggestions on what to get and where to get them at a relatively decent price. New intake? exhaust? headers? camshaft? carb? I'm not very car savvy as of yet, still learning. Any advice would be great, thanks.

Your car was built at almost the height (depths?) of the smog and unleaded fuel mandates where HP was not a priority. Recovering all this lost power would require extensive component changes, far more than a few bolt-ons from a Jegs catalogue. The cost of this would probably equal that of a decent crate engine.

What's your budget?

 

[mr.beachcomber]

The simplest mod you make is a decision about the catalytic converter. '74 is the first year for the converter on the Vette, and GM used a pancake-type, pellet cat that really restricts the flow of exhaust gases. If you're going to keep the cat (due to local emission laws or sense of originality), I would recommend switching over to a honeycomb-type converter that won't choke down the exhaust flow as much as the original. If you decide to ditch the cat, I'd go back to a true dual exhaust system using '73 and earlier stock parts.

I'm with Hib, before you go spending more money, it would be best to establish the state/condition of your original engine and what level of rebuild it would require to achieve the results you want.

Have fun!

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

No cat converters on '74s.

 

[GTR1999]

Since you just bought it and it runs strong I would just drive it, every chance you can. One thing leads to another with these cars, I work with a lot of owners modifying c2 & c3's. With todays tech you can get into 500-700hp much easier then years ago, then the driveline will need to be upgraded to handle the power or you will be breaking parts. I see it everyday. It is so much easier to take the tops off, fill up the tank, and hit the back roads. Save up for a nice paint job, that will cost more then a new engine.

 

[Hib Halverson]

No cat converters on '74s.

What he said!!

 

[kpic]

Mike,
Welcome to CAC.
Simple questions, do you know what the spark plugs look like? Or the results of a compression test? If you remove the oil fill cap, see any smoke?

Until you know those answers and more, leave the bottle alone. Nitrous hits an engine hard, instant additional XXX HP.
If you want to pull the engine and go through it, lotsa folks will offer cam, head etc. advice.

Personally I'd make it look right and fix what's wrong, then go after speed. It is a Corvette, not a rat rod.

 

[ykf7b0]

Just bought a 74 coupe. 4 speed manual 350/195. It's in great shape, needs a paint job but no urgency. Runs flawlessly, everything is good on it. Have all the parts for the new front suspension but need to put the work in. My questions are simple; what can I do to get more horsies? obviously its all about speed just need suggestions on what to get and where to get them at a relatively decent price. New intake? exhaust? headers? camshaft? carb? I'm not very car savvy as of yet, still learning. Any advice would be great, thanks.

I just bought my 76 2 months ago and I'm about to replace the Edelbrock Performer intake with a stock intake simply because the Edelbrock does not allow me clearance to use a decent air cleaner even with a drop base, also it is currently being fed hot air from around the engine to the carb. Using the factory hood I'm sure I would be better served with the factory air cleaner and airduct system that originally came with the car. With that I would at least be getting fresh air from over the radiator and through the small grill opening. I wanted to bring this point out because the aftermarket intake could actually hurt your performance. I was not serious about the NOS Powershot comment but in my experience it is the best bang for the buck if your car is up to the abuse. These mid 70's C3's are factory dogs and the gas mileage is terrible but they are a blast to drive and are one of the best looking vehicles ever produced. Enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[6880 Mike]

Tune it; drive it the rest of the summer to get aquainted with it, then decide what you might want to do with it. My 74 coupe had the L-48 and I had no complaints with it.

Congrats on the 74.

 

[glen242]

I just bought my 76 2 months ago and I'm about to replace the Edelbrock Performer intake with a stock intake simply because the Edelbrock does not allow me clearance to use a decent air cleaner even with a drop base, also it is currently being fed hot air from around the engine to the carb. Using the factory hood I'm sure I would be better served with the factory air cleaner and airduct system that originally came with the car. With that I would at least be getting fresh air from over the radiator and through the small grill opening. I wanted to bring this point out because the aftermarket intake could actually hurt your performance. I was not serious about the NOS Powershot comment but in my experience it is the best bang for the buck if your car is up to the abuse. These mid 70's C3's are factory dogs and the gas mileage is terrible but they are a blast to drive and are one of the best looking vehicles ever produced. Enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Performer intake should allow for the stock air cleaner use. I used one with stock hood and factory air cleaner set up for years, before replacing with a Performer RPM (high rise) intake. RPM intake is taller and requires a drop base air cleaner, then, unless you fabricate a setup, you loose the advantage of the cold air intake.

I am running a custom cold air setup, picks cold air from over the top of the radiator as the stock setup does, and fits under the stock hood Nicely made but pricey. Worth it to me. I believe the housing uses a 14" X 3" filter element. The guy who designd the unit had a limited number produced and I believe he sold them all. He was trying to work up a deal to sell them
through a parts retailer like Jegs, but it was not economically feasible.

 

[ykf7b0]

Performer intake should allow for the stock air cleaner use. I used one with stock hood and factory air cleaner set up for years, before replacing with a Performer RPM (high rise) intake. RPM intake is taller and requires a drop base air cleaner, then, unless you fabricate a setup, you loose the advantage of the cold air intake.

I am running a custom cold air setup, picks cold air from over the top of the radiator as the stock setup does, and fits under the stock hood Nicely made but pricey. Worth it to me. I believe the housing uses a 14" X 3" filter element. The guy who designd the unit had a limited number produced and I believe he sold them all. He was trying to work up a deal to sell them
through a parts retailer like Jegs, but it was not economically feasible.

Can anybody else verify the Performer is no taller than stock?

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

So where did the OP go? Hasn't signed in since he posted his question.

 

[Otter]

So where did the OP go? Hasn't signed in since he posted his question.

He didn't get an instant answer, got bored and left. Shame on you guys for not being available 24/7

 

[Antz81]

So where did the OP go? Hasn't signed in since he posted his question.

Took the Vette for a drive and then realized it would beat any old mustang it comes across anyway so doesn't need any mods?

 

[KANE]

Your car was built at almost the height (depths?) of the smog and unleaded fuel mandates where HP was not a priority. Recovering all this lost power would require extensive component changes, far more than a few bolt-ons from a Jegs catalogue. The cost of this would probably equal that of a decent crate engine.

What's your budget?

I kinda agree with Mikey here.

And a good crate motor does more than provide more power- it also takes care of oil leaks, leaky valve seals, lost compression, outdated and worn out parts. All of those are likely with a car from that is 20 years old or older.

A good rebuild does the same thing.

However, a good tune and a good exhaust system go a long way to increasing performance.

After those things, the cost jumps as you start replacing things as entire systems- like the fuel delivery system (fuel pump, lines, intake, carb) or the ignition system (distributor, coil, wires, plugs, module) or whatever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ykf7b0]

Can anybody else verify the Performer is no taller than stock?

I am going to answer my own question. I have just recently bought and installed a complete factory air cleaner set-up including the factory duct work and I also have an Edelbrock Performer intake on the engine. The Edelbrock Performer intake is no taller than stock and the factory air cleaner set-up works fine with my L-48 hood. I'm sure the Edelbrock Performer RPM would be a different story. I hope this helps someone!

 

[tmkassin]

Just bought a 74 coupe. 4 speed manual 350/195. It's in great shape, needs a paint job but no urgency. Runs flawlessly, everything is good on it. Have all the parts for the new front suspension but need to put the work in. My questions are simple; what can I do to get more horsies? obviously its all about speed just need suggestions on what to get and where to get them at a relatively decent price. New intake? exhaust? headers? camshaft? carb? I'm not very car savvy as of yet, still learning. Any advice would be great, thanks.

Stop by my shop and we can take a look see what you can do.