Engine rebuild project

[paz72vette]

how hard is it to pull the nose off a vette? I used to do this on the chevelles and malibu's and it was not hard at all. I have a 72 vette that I am going to work on this winter.

Thanks

paz

 

[JohnZ]

how hard is it to pull the nose off a vette? I used to do this on the chevelles and malibu's and it was not hard at all. I have a 72 vette that I am going to work on this winter.

Thanks

paz

The Corvette body is many panels, all bonded together into one piece. To get the nose off, you have to split/separate the bond joints all the way around the cowl; the front end isn't bolted on like it is on a steel car.

 

[paz72vette]

The Corvette body is many panels, all bonded together into one piece. To get the nose off, you have to split/separate the bond joints all the way around the cowl; the front end isn't bolted on like it is on a steel car.

thanks, this will be my off season project.

paz

 

[Evolution1980]

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.

Unless I missed it above somewhere, are you planning on rebuilding your existing engine? Any idea what kind of condition it's in? Do you plan on sending in the block and having it magnafluxed? No point in building a hi-perf engine from a questionable base.

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.

No need to replace your cooling system unless you are sure you need to. Yes, pulling the radiator is easier when the engine isn't in the car, but that applies to pretty much everything under the hood. Replacing the radiator at a later time isn't hard.
If your copper/brass OEM radiator is in pretty good shape, then you might find you don't need to replace it. Or, start with the simple stuff like electric fans, but keep in mind that means replacing your alternator with a higher output model. I believe most electric fans pull about 12.5 amps each. So dual fans is an extra 25A you need to account for.
You also may not need a hi-flow water pump. Contrary to popular belief, some applications of hi-flow pumps are counter-productive to cooling because they move the coolant through the radiator too fast and the radiator can't remove the heat quick enough.
Also contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a "4 core radiator". All radiators only have 1 core. What people mean to refer to is the number of tubes inside the core.
Quick side note about radiators...copper/brass (such as our OEM radiator) has a better heat-transfer properties than aluminum. So why is aluminum better? Because the good ones use 4 tubes throughout the core which allows for more surface area contact. The 4 aluminum tubes overcome the difference in heat transfer efficiency that our single tube copper/brass radiators have. For more on cooling, give DeWitts a call.

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.

Determine right now if you want a manual or an automagic trans. If you really want a manual, then save up for it. Otherwise, either -R4 trans will work when properly beefed up. If you already have a 3.70 rear, I'd suggest the 200R4. The 700R4 will likely give you too much torque in first gear since it has a more aggressive first gear than the 200R4. What good is all the power if you can't get the car off the line due to no traction? Also, the 700R4 is going to require additional mods whereas the 200R4 is supposed to be plug-n-play. (I've seen one person in the forum say "no it's not" while everyone else has said "yes". Do your own research. Bowtie would be a good start. I have a BTO 700R4 in my car...wish now that I had saved for a TKO.) If you are sticking with an automagic, be sure to match your converters stall speed to the "normal driving" RPM that your engine will see most of the time. For a stout engine on the street, somewhere between 2000-2400 should do ya well. If you are primarily drag racing, then obviously you'll want something higher.

 

[ChrisR8C]

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![/QUOTE]

I'm in the process of this exact swap and have been at it for over 1 yr. now. I purchased a 450 hp 383 last year and got started. Let me back up a bit, Over the years I have upgraded the driveline and suspension. I already have 1 3:73 rear and a BTO 700r4.
To pull the motor, I removed the passenger front tire and went in from the side. I had no trouble this way.
Once the engine was out, I looked over what was left. My radiator was leaking and basically just nasty. The wiring harness was getting brittle. I figured better to replace what needed replacing while the engine was out. I also cleaned and detailed the engine compartment. I went with a new Aluminum radiator with dual electric fans. I replaced the engine harness, and any other wire or connector that needed it. My vacuum hoses as well as the other hoses were also going bad so they got the ax as well.
Going back in was the reverse of coming out, but took much longer as I would lower the engine a bit, re-adjust the headers, wires, etc, lower some more.
I installed the radiator after the engine was back in place. ( One note- I should have wired the fan relays and fuses while the engine was out)
I already had stainless true dual exhaust, but I never like the bend thru the crossmember, so I replaced that with one from BTO. Now, from the headers, the exhaust is straight back and tucked up much higher.
One thing to keep in mind, if you go custom, everything becomes difficult. The fuel lines took me hours to fab up. I went with braided stainless.
I am just about finished now and ready to start. If time permits, maybe this weekend.
Bottom line, if it looks suspect-- replace it. And I did this alone in my garage.

Chris

 

[Art Jett]

[ I was looking at bowtieoverdrives.com, and they have some nice built 700r4s that will handle that power.

If I were you, I would steer far away from Bowtie Overdrives. bought one of their stage 2 units with a 2500 stall converter and it only made it 15000 miles before it went to sh*t!!! The converter came apart and took the trans with it. When we got it apart, we found that the sprag showed in excess of 100,000 miles of wear, the servo was for a truck and the clutches were just about as low perf. as you can buy. In short---it was a piece of crap. The shift points were never good and solid. (Yes, I had the TV cable set up correctly).

 

[Evolution1980]

Interesting, Art. I can't exactly say that I was thrilled with them either, in both pre- and post-sale support. My Level 3 blew up sometime after the 12-month warranty had passed. Front pump detonated. They said that it would only blow up if it wasn't installed correctly. I'd bet my life that my install was perfect. Nonetheless, $1400 later and I had my trans working again. To say I was mildly pi$$ed off would be keeping it civil. If I had known I'd be putting another $1400 into it, I would've done a conversion to a manual trans. Yeah, I wouldn't buy one from them either, but I know people that have had great experiences with them. "Your mileage may vary."

 

[Art Jett]

The only thing I got from them that was any good was their crossmember. I know you had trouble with that on your car. I had my trans rebuilt @ Phoenix Transmission locally, and got twice the warranty(2 yr. from date of install, not 1 yr. from date of sale) and it was almost half the price.

 

[KANE]

My Level 3 blew up sometime after the 12-month warranty had passed. Front pump detonated. They said that it would only blow up if it wasn't installed correctly. I'd bet my life that my install was perfect. Nonetheless, $1400 later and I had my trans working again. To say I was mildly pi$$ed off would be keeping it civil. If I had known I'd be putting another $1400 into it, I would've done a conversion to a manual trans. Yeah, I wouldn't buy one from them either, but I know people that have had great experiences with them. "Your mileage may vary."

If I were you, I would steer far away from Bowtie Overdrives. bought one of their stage 2 units with a 2500 stall converter and it only made it 15000 miles before it went to sh*t!!! The converter came apart and took the trans with it. When we got it apart, we found that the sprag showed in excess of 100,000 miles of wear, the servo was for a truck and the clutches were just about as low perf. as you can buy. In short---it was a piece of crap. The shift points were never good and solid. (Yes, I had the TV cable set up correctly).

I had no problems with the tranny itself in the two years I had my '78 with the 700R4.

Their crossmember? I'm not too sure about it. I got a long drawn out story about how the '82 crossmember wasn't at the proper angle or something from the guy who owns BTO. It was the middle of March '02. I called a couple places and couldn't find an '82 crossmember at the time- so I went with the BTO part. It was well built- but it didn't fit easily and we had to tweak how the part bolted to the frame.

I've pointed people in their direction in the past... but I'm not so sure anymore.;squint:

 

[Evolution1980]

I've pointed people in their direction in the past... but I'm not so sure anymore.

erd:

 

[ChrisR8C]

I have had no trouble with the trans or converter from BTO (1800 stall ). It has been in the car for about 6yrs now. Granted it doesn't have that many miles on it. ( I only used it to autocross and and drive on nice weekends ) Also it was behind the stock motor. When I installed the new motor, I upgraded to a 2400 stall. I also bought one of their crossmembers. It looked great and fit perfect.
Hopefully it will live behind the 383.