I could not believe it!!

[sscam69]

Well I am here in my home town (McAllen Tx) visiting family. I was with driving with my dad, and uncle and we passed a place called "Performance International".

I saw a shark in front with the hood up, next to it was a 2002 Camaro SS and to the right of the building I could see a ford fairlane 500, Chevelle (don' t know what year), and a 50's something car. Obviously this place dealt with hi-po machines. Well my dad decided to stop in and take a look at the vette.

OH MY GOD!!! IT HAD A CRATE 502!!!!
I didn't even think that thing could fit. After looking at Chrises pics of his 454 and how tight it was I could not believe a 502 could fit, with some change!! Upon further inspection

-powder coated headers (touched the frame)
-3" exhaust
-MSD ignition
-Be-Cool radiator setup with dual electric fans
all I could see, oh had a TH350

I asked the guy a few questions and told him that I had a 79 myself and he said

"oh really, well there is a vette car club here we have regular meetings and those guys helped me ALOT with the engine and resto, let me give you a card!"

I told him that I was only passing by and that I live in El Paso. Now I want to move down here!!

I want to join a club in El Paso but the only ones that I know of are racing clubs with a few punk teenagers that only know how to talk trash. I don't know if I want to be part of something like that. The leaders of the clubs are cool though. One is called 1320 and the other is D/T Velocity.


Well the point is I did not think a 502 could fit. Did I mention it had a 502. AGAIN A 502
:BOW :j

 

[Tom73]

396, 427, 454, 502....they are all the same, just different internal dimentions. Outside is the same dimention. If one will fit, all will fit.

tom...

 

[sscam69]

I still am in awe about that 502!!

I looked at my dad and we both had this "OH MY GOD!!" look on our faces. It was to much power for the tires though, I thought it was for racing but the guy is building it just for show. At least that was the impression that I was left with.

During the drive down (12hrs) we had a lot to talk about. For 4hrs it was nothing but cars. I learned that if he could any car it would be a

"cuda with a 440 in it, a big blower sticking out of the hood so that I could go down the street to buy milk"

Anyways I had a 383 (400 maybe) in mind, he wants a 427! I asked him where are we going to store it, as we have no room in our house or in a small shack in the back and forget keeping the parts outside.

He said, just keep it at my store in the warehouse. We were thinking about buying the engine from the classifieds, taking it apart and building it up with good components (forged) as funds become available. BUT right now the car has other problems or issues that have to be dealt with before we get to that point.

what changes in those big blocks with the sizes?
Bore?Stroke?


frank

 

[rpounds]

Hey Frank!! Have you decided to keep the 'vette?

Like Tom said, anything from a 396 to a 502 uses the same basic block. Bore and stroke changes give you the varying cubes.

Big blocks love the higher gears typical to C3 vettes. Lots of torque. Had a 67 SS El Camino once upon a time with the 396 and TH400. Awesome ride . . .

Ron

 

[sscam69]

yeah I decided to keep the vette. I took it for one last cruise and could not bring myself to selling it. I figured I could get that Camaro in a few more years. Then I will have two great cars!!

I am going to swap out the cam at the end of next month and then the heads as soon as I have enough money. I am thinking it won't happen until the end of summer or early fall. As of now thats the plan but we will see what happens.

Frank

 

[rpounds]

Ya know Frank, I'm actually glad that you made that decision!! Hey, I would have backed you up either way. On the other hand, I would have missed ya if you weren't around here anymore!!

So, what cam and heads have you decided on? Have you written to the cam manufacturers for their recommendations? I'd be very interested in hearing what they had to say.

Like you said, there's time to get a Camaro. Been thinkin' about that one myself. There's a Corvette, Camaro, Fiero wrecking yard a few miles from where I live. As soon as I get the garage cleaned out, I'm very seriously considering dragging home a 'project' Camaro. Something like a '70 . . . hopefully with a stick. Drop a big block in . . . do all the things that the smog laws here in Nazifornia won't let me do to the 'vette. My neighbor has a very nice '67. Fairly stock engine. But, he's building a killer stroker to drop in. He just wants to see just how much HP he can generate. Mind you, he and I are both mid 40's. I guess some people never grow up . . .

Ron

 

[hotrodd]

I could not beleive it

Cool,I saw a 502 Merlin yesterday.Grumpy Jenkin's head's so forth.24000 mile WARRANTY.600 horse and something like 625 lbs. torque. New for 9500 dollars complete.That would make a sweet vette.

 

[sscam69]

Yeah I am also glad I made that decision. I asked myself if I would regret it later and the answer was YUP so I decided not to sell. I am also at that point where I know just about everything that is wrong with the car, I didn’t want to start from square one again. I wallet would hate me.

Let me tell you those first gens are teasing me. On the way down to McAllen there was a cherry red SS with drag tires in the back and pizza cutters in the front with the rear end lifted.
I commented to my dad, “Look at that”
he said “if you have $10k we can take it”
I said “ no I don’t but there is a bank just down the street”
we just laughed

all in time

My dad asked me what I had planned for the future. I told him that I want to start a automotive high performance engineering shop (yeah I don’t want to grow up either) he mentioned about it being a hobby and would be tough. In the back of my mind I was thinking , “well what isn’t, life isn’t always easy” (I mean that with no disrespect). I just got my degree B.S.M.E and will start my M.S.M.E in June. I have done the first step. I am going to try and work as a volunteer in a local speed shop while doing my masters and learn hands on and then take it from there. If all goes well I will be moving to Albuquerque with my g/f, she will be working at Sandia Nat. Labs and I think that’s when I will start it.

No I have not called them up yet. I am still doing research on it but the X-treme or Dual Energy cams from Comp Cams look pretty appealing. The dual energy have really good low to mid range torque which is what I want and need. Bullit pointed out some cams from lunati. What I am doing is using that desktop dyno program to get an idea of how the cam will perform. As far as heads go, I want the Sportsman II heads from world products but they have 210 cc runners and I think that would be to much for low end. I remember you suggested 170. World products have the Torker heads with a smaller runner volume ,170 cc, They both have 2.02/1.6” valves with the backcut and can handle .55” of lift. I am shooting for at least 350hp/350ftlbs.

What do you think?


Frank

 

[69MyWay]

There is just something about looking under the hood of a stuffed up shark. That is stuffed with plenty of cubic inches. You just don't get to see that in modern cars.

No doubt you were going nuts.

 

[sscam69]

you better believe it!! I had to wipe the drool off the fender with my T-shirt

Frank