Do I REALLY wanna 'vette?

[Evolution1980]

Born2Saw, Nice '75. Last year for the convertible before '86. I don't see very many '75 verts...

 

[tonyk72]

Well, I might be going to see another 'vette this weekend. The LS-5 I've been considering has been replaced with an LT-1 I found, closer to home, sounds like its in better condition. Which leads me to another question. Which is better?! I never drove an LT-1...I've always been attracted to the "aura" of the 454...but it seems like the LT-1's are more desirable...Am I missing something??

 

[Chas]

i waited almost 30 years......my vette was being taken care of by a police officer in my city.....he only put 600 miles on it since 1986...man im sure glad i waited ,you definitly want to secure a vette....there are plenty of real nice ones out there and im sure one that would look nice wrapped around you.

ps....the 454's from 73 only have 275 horses....kind of under powered for that big block.

 

[Stallion]

i waited almost 30 years......my vette was being taken care of by a police officer in my city.....he only put 600 miles on it since 1986...man im sure glad i waited ,you definitly want to secure a vette....there are plenty of real nice ones out there and im sure one that would look nice wrapped around you.

ps....the 454's from 73 only have 275 horses....kind of under powered for that big block.

Yea, the "raw power era" in Vettes and big blocks is from 68-72. That's when, sources say, there were very little limitations, but then in the mid-70s there were pollution issues and the sort.

I'm thinking some Vette of this time. With a big block. I know, it's expensive and rare. But, I'll see how I like them when I start looking.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Well, I might be going to see another 'vette this weekend. The LS-5 I've been considering has been replaced with an LT-1 I found, closer to home, sounds like its in better condition. Which leads me to another question. Which is better?! I never drove an LT-1...I've always been attracted to the "aura" of the 454...but it seems like the LT-1's are more desirable...Am I missing something??

Tony,

Obviously you can't beat the torquey feel of a big block but a small block has a near perfect weight distribution and handles beautifully. A big block, with the extra weight over the front wheels will understeer badly when pushed hard into a corner. In other words when you steer into a turn the car keeps on going straight with the front wheels plowing. Sure they can be set up not to do this with some suspension tuning and the right wheel/tire combo but not when stock. My old '67 would drift the tail out on an off ramp perfectly when I was running some ugly wheels and tires. They worked but looked bad. I put on stock Ralley wheels and matched set of radials and the first time I tried to drift it I about filled my shorts. It nearly plowed right off of the ramp. Bottom line; if you want an all around nice handling Corvette get the small block. The LT1 will be the icing on the cake. The LT1s were the highest HP small block available and were a rarer option so they have remained very desirable over the years. I think you will be impressed with the LT1.

Tom

 

[tonyk72]

Whats the HP to weight ratio for the LS-5, LT-1? How much more does that big block weigh? Which car is faster? I drove a 454 before and liked the power. From what I read, the LT-1 is more of the high rpm racer, not really that great for the street.
Also, the LT-1 I'm looking at has AC, I know it's rare, thats why this LT-1 sparked my interest...

 

[MoeJr]

What year LT1 you looking at Tony? I am in Manchester NH what part of state you in?

One thing to keep in mind. Pre 71 GM Cars need more octane than what is available at the pump right now.

 

[MoeJr]

LT1 is on;y couple tenths slower in the 1/4 but handles better than a Big Block. Bein an AC car would mean it is a 72. Should be 3.70 rear end and probably a 4 spd so my guess is it will be fine on the street. granted it will feel totally different when you getting to the top of an on ramp and you nail it and that tach starts heading for the sky it will be impressive to say the least. LT1 gets my vote.

 

[tonyk72]

I'm down in Nashua...the 'vettes I'm looking are '72's. I just got the pics of the LT-1, very nice, but I'm going to keep a cool head and not get swayed by what could be a cheap paint job. I got burnt once before, not again...
As far as octane, I think a '72 LT-1 should be OK on super....

 

[Martin72]

Just a suggestion.....'72 LT-1's were sorta rare...only 1,741 out of 27,000 vettes produced in '72 had the LT-1 engine. Also, only 240 had A/C. I would suggest getting / checking engine numbers, s/n, etc. to insure that it is in fact a "real" LT-1 before paying LT-1 prices.

But, if the price if right, even if it's not a "real" LT-1 and the rest of the car looks, handles, runs, OK....go for it....

 

[tonyk72]

The price on this car is not bad at all, it's about 5-10k under what I've seen out there for other LT-1's w/ AC, which makes me wonder..."Whats wrong with this??". The guy said he checked the #'s on the block, trans, rear end, and carb...and they all match up. The paint is not matching #'s, but its the same shade of the origianal. The frame has no rust. And there are no major mechanical problems. I'd never pay the almost ridiculous prices I've seen for these kinda cars as I'm not that big on the "rareness" of it, but it seems like a good deal, so I'm gonna look into it some more. Also, from what I know, it's harder to forge a '72 LT-1 (as opposed to a 70-71) due to the sequence # of the VIN being stamped onto the block? Am I right on this??

 

[Martin72]

You're right....the last 6? or so digits of the VIN is stamped on the pass side of the block....on the tab that sticks out under the head.

For some reason....numbers matching or rare configurations (like an a/c LT-1) demand much higher prices than standard cars.

Good luck.....

 

[Evolution1980]

I also seem to recall something in the blackbook about the LT1's that did have air, they had a different tach display due to redline re-adjustment. I don't have my blackbook on me, but someone else could probably verify that today.

 

[tonyk72]

I found answers to some of my q's.
The '72 LT-1 weighed in at 3,354, LS-5 at 3,725, base was 3,454

so HP to weight ratio would be 13.1 for the LT-1, 13.8 for the LS-5, and 17.3 for the base

as a comparison, a 1999 'vette has a HP to weight ratio of 9.34
and a '01 Z06 has a ratio of 8.09

Wow, math is fun!

 

[MoeJr]

Tony where did you get the weight charts for the 72's? That seems like alot more weight for the big block than should be. I don't thinka 454 weighs more than 100 lbs more than a 350 but I could be wrong. The different tach face used on A/C equipped LT1's was set at the base L48's redline so as to discourage HI Rpm operation and possible Tossing of the A/C belt.

 

[tonyk72]

This website is neat, has old magazine test reports...

http://www.corvettearchive.com

There were some performance figures and other various stats...

 

[Evolution1980]

1972 Factoid

Here's a quote from the Corvette Black Book regarding the 1972 LT-1 engine:

This was the only year the 1970-1972 LT1 could be combined with air conditioning. The number built is believed to be 240. Previous restrictions were based on the possibility of air conditioning belts being spun off by higher engine rpm permitted by the solid valve lifters. To discourage higher rpm, the LT1's with air had the base engine's 5600 rpm tach instead of the 6500 rpm unit used with non-air LT1's.

 

[tonyk72]

The answer is yes!
Pictures and details to follow when I get her home this weekend!

 

[Evolution1980]

So is it a '72 LT1 w/AC that you are picking up?

 

[tonyk72]

Yep, she's home safe in the garage now. A '72 LT-1 w/ AC. Matching #'s for the most part, except alternator and fan clutch. Red w/ Saddle vinal, PS, PB, tilt/tele...71k miles
Towed it 500 miles this Saturday...10 hours in a U-haul is no fun...
I never thought I'd own a 'vette like this, but its real!! I'll post a few pics soon and may begin my own website soon...will start looking for the tank sticker in a few days (maybe after the holidays)...