Engine rebuild project

[80VetteL82]

Hows it going guys? As the thread title says Im going to be doing an engine build for my 1980 vette. Im planning on pulling the motor mid-late fall once the good driving weather is gone, and I wanted to get a thread going to try to pick all of your brains! haha. I just wanted to get as much advice, tips, tricks etc... that I could.

Im 21 and this will be my first engine build. I worked as a mechanic full time for 3yrs before becoming a Paramedic. I was never certified, I learned as I went, so I know my way around a car, but Im no master tech. I will be doing this mainly by myself with some help from friends when I need it, and I have a great machine shop very close to my house that Ill be using.

Ive had my vette for 5yrs now and have done a lot of restoration including body/suspension and some rear drivetrain work, but as of yet I havent done much to the motor as the car ran well. The motor is getting older, and Im ready to start from scratch. Im not sure what is in there now, other than its a non-original 350 that was dressed up to look like the L82 that should have been in there. As for my plans, Im planning on doing a 383 somewhere around 450hp/tq. I have been reading a book by David Vizard on how to build a SBC, which has been helpful and also has recommendations for specific builds.

Im just concerned that once I get this started Im going to wind up finding more and more to do....like improving the cooling system, beefing up the drivetrain etc... For the kind of power Im looking to run how well do you think the stock cooling system perform? I was thinking I may have to go to electric fans. How much power do you think the stock driveline can take. I currently have a rebuilt TH350, which Ill probably end up replacing with either a 700R4 or a TKO600. I have a 2yr old rear end with 3.70s as well.

Sorry for the huge post, I just wanted to make sure I gave you all a good back story so you could get a better idea at what Im going to be facing. Im really looking forward to this experience, since Ive had the car Ive been planning this haha. I really appreciate any advice or experiences you could share with me.

Thanks!

 

[KANE]

...Im 21 and this will be my first engine build. I worked as a mechanic full time for 3yrs before becoming a Paramedic. I was never certified, I learned as I went, so I know my way around a car, but Im no master tech. I will be doing this mainly by myself with some help from friends when I need it, and I have a great machine shop very close to my house that Ill be using...

Your story sounds similar to my own.

I too had worked for about three years with mechanics in shops. I was 21 when I did my first solo TPI swap. I was a senior in college and taking 18 credit hours that semester in my senior year. :W

Anyway, I had a nearby shop do the transplant itself for the crate motor and then I did the entire swap from there.

Good times ahead- you'll learn A LOT from this experience! Some experiences will be like this :ugh - and some will be like .

In the end, you'll be able to stand back and admire your work and your accomplishments.



Keep us posted and give us some more info on the direction you are thinking about.

 

[gmjunkie]

Good times ahead- you'll learn A LOT from this experience! Some experiences will be like this :ugh - and some will be like .

In the end, you'll be able to stand back and admire your work and your accomplishments.

And after 40 years of wrench'n,You may Look like this!!:L:L:L

It's been a Hell of a Ride,But I wouldn't trade it for anything else!!

 

[80VetteL82]

Thanks for the reply Kane! I will definitely keep you guys posted on my plans on progress. As of right now I dont plan on buying anything ahead of time, I want to get the motor out of there and see where I stand. Once its out Im planning on cleaning and painting the bay and replacing some wiring harnesses, everything is sort of disorganized in there right now.

So how much did you do? You said you had a local shop do the actual transplant... meaning the actual pulling the old and dropping in the new? Im planning on borrowing an engine crane and stand from the shop I worked at, so hopefully Ill be able to do it all at home.

Come on guys... I know theres more of you out there with experience in motor swaps! Tell me your stories, any advice or tips are welcome!

 

[KANE]

...So how much did you do? You said you had a local shop do the actual transplant... meaning the actual pulling the old and dropping in the new? Im planning on borrowing an engine crane and stand from the shop I worked at, so hopefully Ill be able to do it all at home...

My ex-fiance's parents (she wasn't my ex at the time though!) were nice enough to let me do the swap in their garage- but yes, the pull part had to be done somewhere else. I had already pulled a few engines by that time- so it was an inglorious task for me at a time when I didn't have a place to pull an engine.

The wiring, modifications, ECM selection, parts scouring, and all the other details I did.

Be careful when selecting a cherry picker (hoist). You'll need one with a long enough boom to get over the front end.

BTW- it may also be easier to pull the engine and tranny as a unit if you have right equipment and the room to do so.

 

[80VetteL82]

Be careful when selecting a cherry picker (hoist). You'll need one with a long enough boom to get over the front end.

Yah, I remember reading this a while back when I first got the car. Ive heard that its sometimes easier to pull a wheel and come in the side....however, Im planning on pulling the nose off anyways so I should have room up front. The nose is coming off because it bubbled up after having the car painted 2 years ago. I had it repainted, but it did it again, so now Im pulling it off to get shipped out stripped down to the urethane and resealed...

 

[80VetteL82]

Come on.... anybody?.... Bueller?........I know there has to be more gearheads on here!

 

[Curtis]

NO.. your stock cooling system will not handle 450HP.. you will need and aftermarket radiator with electric fans and a high flow water pump.
My stock driveline parts (3 inch shafts to the wheels and stock diameter main drive shaft)are surviving about 400 hp and 420 lb/ft torque just fine. not sure how much more abuse it can take. My saving grace is probably the stock size tires not getting too much grip.
Don't know how much power a th350 can absorb.. I do know you will grenade the 700r4 in stock condition. Mine is built to the hilt with the good parts and can handle over 600 hp. expensive but worth it.
You will love the OD on the 700r4 for fuel mileage and driveability when built strong. Also with the low 1st gear and your 3.70 rear you should be able to light up the tires at will.

 

[Rodney Gold]

You will have 2 problems with a 383 putting out 450+ hp , and that is driveability and the fact that your 80 diff (aluminium carrier) will take a lot of pain. I would advise you build for 350-375 hp 6000 rpm max motor , this will allow you to use your stock radiator and your th350 (rebuilt with a shift kit). Use a 2000 - 2500 stall to really wake the car up.
I have an 80 with a 10:1 350 , Edelbrock performer heads , performer intake , ceramic coated headers , 276 Hyd cam , holley 770 street avenger and MSD ignition , 3.55 rear gears and a 2600 stall. This car does mid to high 12's on stock 235/50/15's , has a top end of just under 210 kph , is at the limits of traction on the street and is very driveable , uses stock radiator (added an elec fan).
If it was affordable in my country , my wishlist would be and 4l80e box with a higher stall and an offboard contoller/computer.
On the street , I can take on superbikes and beat em for the first 100 meters as they struggle to get traction..yeh they do come past me after they have gotten down off their wheelie ...but the shocked expressions of the bike riders are priceless.....I have yet to meet any car on the street that can take me stoplight to stoplight ...even my pals Merc sl65 amg (v12 bi turbo) cannot take me off the line (but once he gets going he catches up real quick.)
I also currently have a 390kw/700nm 454 In an el Camino (its an aussie Holden ute - not american Elky) and it's a blast to drive but is not anywhere near the fun of the vette and is sometimes a pain on the roads...I have learned that being conservative is sometimes the better option...

 

[80VetteL82]

NO.. your stock cooling system will not handle 450HP.. you will need and aftermarket radiator with electric fans and a high flow water pump.
My stock driveline parts (3 inch shafts to the wheels and stock diameter main drive shaft)are surviving about 400 hp and 420 lb/ft torque just fine. not sure how much more abuse it can take. My saving grace is probably the stock size tires not getting too much grip.
Don't know how much power a th350 can absorb.. I do know you will grenade the 700r4 in stock condition. Mine is built to the hilt with the good parts and can handle over 600 hp. expensive but worth it.
You will love the OD on the 700r4 for fuel mileage and driveability when built strong. Also with the low 1st gear and your 3.70 rear you should be able to light up the tires at will.

Thanks for the input! Yah, I figured the stock cooling system wouldnt meet the requirements, the driveline is my main concern. I absolutely need OD, with the 3.70s highway driving is basically impossible. I was looking at bowtieoverdrives.com, and they have some nice built 700r4s that will handle that power. My concern is more the rear half shafts...Ive already had a lot of problems snapping Ujoints...I had been thinking that the rear end alignment may be causing them to wear prematurely, so Ive been looking into getting new trailing arms.

 

[80VetteL82]

You will have 2 problems with a 383 putting out 450+ hp , and that is driveability and the fact that your 80 diff (aluminium carrier) will take a lot of pain. I would advise you build for 350-375 hp 6000 rpm max motor , this will allow you to use your stock radiator and your th350 (rebuilt with a shift kit). Use a 2000 - 2500 stall to really wake the car up.
I have an 80 with a 10:1 350 , Edelbrock performer heads , performer intake , ceramic coated headers , 276 Hyd cam , holley 770 street avenger and MSD ignition , 3.55 rear gears and a 2600 stall. This car does mid to high 12's on stock 235/50/15's , has a top end of just under 210 kph , is at the limits of traction on the street and is very driveable , uses stock radiator (added an elec fan).
If it was affordable in my country , my wishlist would be and 4l80e box with a higher stall and an offboard contoller/computer.
On the street , I can take on superbikes and beat em for the first 100 meters as they struggle to get traction..yeh they do come past me after they have gotten down off their wheelie ...but the shocked expressions of the bike riders are priceless.....I have yet to meet any car on the street that can take me stoplight to stoplight ...even my pals Merc sl65 amg (v12 bi turbo) cannot take me off the line (but once he gets going he catches up real quick.)
I also currently have a 390kw/700nm 454 In an el Camino (its an aussie Holden ute - not american Elky) and it's a blast to drive but is not anywhere near the fun of the vette and is sometimes a pain on the roads...I have learned that being conservative is sometimes the better option...

Thank you for your input as well. Yah, perhaps 450 is excessive. I was planning for slightly more than I thought I would need because I didnt want to go to the trouble of doing all this work and then been in the position where I wanted more lol. Id rather not stick with the stock tranny because I really need OD...with my 3.70 rear I really cant do much on the highway.

 

[Rodney Gold]

Yeh - I understand the OD thing cos I also have issues with my 3.55 rear on the highway , but I don't really do much highway travelling and I built more as a street warrior ....
At any rate.. for me with a high stall..which I feel is vital to wake the car up and really utilise the performance , an OD can also be a curse if my RPM at highway speed drops to under or near the stall RPM.

 

[Glensgages]

You will have 2 problems with a 383 putting out 450+ hp , and that is driveability and the fact that your 80 diff (aluminium carrier) will take a lot of pain. I would advise you build for 350-375 hp 6000 rpm max motor , this will allow you to use your stock radiator and your th350 (rebuilt with a shift kit). Use a 2000 - 2500 stall to really wake the car up.
I have an 80 with a 10:1 350 , Edelbrock performer heads , performer intake , ceramic coated headers , 276 Hyd cam , holley 770 street avenger and MSD ignition , 3.55 rear gears and a 2600 stall. This car does mid to high 12's on stock 235/50/15's...

not-to-highjack-this thread, but.....

Rodney, you got any idea how-long my Dana-44 might last in a bracket-racing atmosphere, given the curent power-plant (see signature below)?
hnoes

Car will be raced as you see it, on rock-hard BFG T/A Radials, with no future upgrade in HP/TQ in-mind..... have intentions of racing the car semi-regularly, but don't wanna bust the weak-knee'd Dana-44 if I can avoid it, yet I don't want to put any additional coin into it, either:
I have a bullet-proof Z28 with a 12-bolt/spool being stored 1100 miles away, and have an itch I just can't scratch any-other way, so the Corvette will be pressed into service in it's place.....



this might help all late-C3 owners with the wimpy rear-end decide what they can, and can't, expect from their cars

 

[Rodney Gold]

If you don't get superb traction on launch , which is probably the case with rock hard tyres , your diff should live....
I wanted to put a 250 hp NOS cheater system or a paxton SC on my car but decided otherwise.
I know you can swap out the diff for a stonger one from an earlier vette and there are ppl on the forum that can uprate yours , but I am not in the USA so its real difficult to do this for myself.
Thre are varied reports , some folk evidently have put 500 hp thru it and it survives , others have broken it with 300hp ????
I have grenaded 2 tci stalls already and the diff lived , so it appears to be reasonably strong , but I wouldnt trust it with exteme HP and TQ (like a 350hp NOS shot) and a sticky raceway with a pair of slicks

 

[73shark]

80VetteL82 : Did they still use the 4-core radiator on the '80 L-82s? If not, would be an easy upgrade.

 

[Red69]

I have a 79 L82 with a copper radiator that has the engine running at 230* on the highway. It has been running this way since I've ownen the car several years. I'm looking into swapping in an aluminum radiator to resolve this issue. I was told an old buddy solved this problem in his 79 L48 drag racer with an aluminum radiator. He should be contacting me soon to explain details of his effort. From what I was told, he didn't use a high dollar unit to keep it cool.

 

[Curtis]

I use a stock replacement copper radiator with a 4500 cfm puller electric fan and home built shroud that covers the entire radiator. the original mechanical fan has been removed. No problems with heating for me. Seldom reaches 200 degrees. I am at about 400 hp. seems to me the key is moving enough air through the radiator.

 

[Red69]

This is very interesting! I believe my electric fan to be original to my car, but don't know what the cfm rating is. What is the amp rating of the alternator you are using? My current fan is on a rheostat, but I'm thinking of using a three way toggle for more accurate control from inside. My plan is still being developed, but the radiator swap seems imminent.

There is a modification that can be made to increase air flow. Scroll through this thread:
How much cooling does engine oil do? - Page 2 - VetteMOD.com

 

[Glensgages]

I use a stock replacement copper radiator with a 4500 cfm puller electric fan and home built shroud that covers the entire radiator. the original mechanical fan has been removed. No problems with heating for me. Seldom reaches 200 degrees. I am at about 400 hp.

I had a friend with a 450+ HP BBC in a 12-second '70 Chevelle, that roamed the streets of SW Taxylvania, with an electric water-pump, a BIG electric fan, & a 4-core radiator that rarely ran over 180*f:
we build a shroud (out of my gage & template shop, per his drawings) that covered the entire backside of the radiator, except for the fan, it he had no-problems..... in-fact, late in the season, he claimed the car had trouble getting up to temperature at the track if he towed it, so he drove it to/from, to get some heat built into the core.

 

[80VetteL82]

80VetteL82 : Did they still use the 4-core radiator on the '80 L-82s? If not, would be an easy upgrade.

Thats a good question, Im not sure...