lwroten

Can someone tell me the first year GM used the 396 in the Corvette? Or point me where I can find this? I thought it was 66 but a friend said he had a 65 with it. He claims only a few were made and it is rare.
TIA

Lee

Chuck Gongloff

1965 only in the Corvette. The 427 began in 1966. Chuck

docmow

it was 1965 and only that year next year was a 427 and only 2151 cars
had it at cost of 292.70 extra docmow

67HEAVEN

I guess it wasn't fast enough to last more than one year...... ;) :lol: :lol: :lol:

66427-450

yeah, those 396's were real slugs :blueangel:

clem zahrobsky

my new 1965 396 conv with 4:10 gears ran 13.08 with road race tires. :chevy


[Modified by clem zahrobsky, 1:22 PM 11/23/2002]

Ironcross

GM used the same engine in a 67 Camaro and down rated it to 375HP from 425HP. They still refered to it as a L 78 engine. Only 1138 were produced and a very rare desirable piece. By the way is not a slouch. I know I have one. If I could get a picture up, I would show the forum. It`s an SS with a RS optioned all Black coupe. Several options include disc brakes, wood tilt wheel, special instrumentation with console gauges, special interior group, and custom interior. 4 speed driving a 4.10 posi axle, with front and rear spoilers. A low milage unrestored matching number car. I guess I`m one of a few Vette owners who also have Camaros. :thumbs: :D

SWCDuke

The 396 - RPO L-78 - was actually a "midyear" introduction. It wasn't available for sale at Chevrolet dealers until about March, 1965 - maybe a little earlier. I had a friend who bought one, when they first came out and I recall he got his in March. He was itching to race me, but I never gave him the opportunity as I knew what the outcome would be with my '63 L-76.

Duke

Revette

I was at Wisconsin's Union Grove Dragstrip in '65 when a guy came in with a new, white, 396 coupe on a trailor. His first shot at the quarter mile he blew a halfshaft and left a lot of pieces of fiberglass at the christmas tree. They rolled it back onto the trailor and he left.

That same day I watched a jet powered car, the California Kid, desintegrate his chute when he forgot to shut down the afterburner and go through the clocks at 250 mph and accelerating. When we left, the jet engine was laying in the ditch alongside the highway in front of the Grove.


[Modified by Revette, 2:08 PM 11/23/2002]

396 RAT

"His first shot at the quarter mile he blew a halfshaft and left a lot of pieces of fiberglass at the christmas tree."

How could that be? That car used the same 1/2 shafts as the mighty 427?
:lol:
and 2157 were built. and it was close to the 67 Camaro 396, but the heads,
cam, carb, exhaust manifolds were not exactly the same as I recall.

JohnZ

There are more of us than you think :yesnod: - I also have a 2-owner 33K-mile all-original unrestored '69 Z/28 :cheers:

wallyknoch

65 396/425 Vette engine has the identical parts as a 67 396/375 Camaro. Heads, intake, carb, cam, block, pistons exhaust, except date codes. I really don`t know why, but GM changed HP ratings on a few engines including the first 427 in the 66 Vette. from 450 back to 425 including the the 396`s from 425 to 375. Maybe insurance? :sleep:

396 RAT

You may be right, but check combustion chamber size, cam, & carb spec's.
The cam is especially elusive. And The exhaust manifolds too would be a surprise. Just depends how far you care to dig. Dig?

Ironcross

Believe me, the only difference between the 427`s and the 396`s are the cubic inches. We just fininshed the 396/375 engine. If it wasn`t for the date codes you would never know the difference. I have a 427/425 or 450HP 66 "TO 610 IP" Vette engine in my Bronze 68 SS Camaro. This was a new crate engine I put into one of my ski boats years ago. No car serial number because it was a over the counter piece. In fact the heads are similar to a L88 except not aluminum. Square port closed chamber style. The 396 is now a blue printed 30 over at 402 ci ready to go back into my 67 SS. I got too damn many cars, anyone want a great Camaro? I got three earlys left. All they do is set around. I dont want to die with the most big block cars in the nation. :lol: That distinction is only awarded after you cannot use anything any more. :thumbs:

clem zahrobsky

the big difference was the exhaust manifolds. go to http://nhra.com/tech_specs/engine/index.html and check out the engine specs for the difference HP ratings. :chevy
[Modified by clem zahrobsky, 10:51 PM 11/24/2002]

Vetterodder

Handy link Clem! Looking at the cam specs it shows that the cam in the `65 425/396 had a little less lift than the cam used in the later 375/396 L78's that were put in Chevelles, Camaros, and Novas. The later cam was also used in L72's and L71's.

olredalert

--------Im almost positive that the original cam in a 1965 396 Corvette motor was a milder grind(not by much)than the 67 375hp cam.Im not sure you could ever get that same cam over the counter after the end of production of 65 Vettes.It morphed into the 66 425hp cam...............Bill S

wallyknoch

Hello Clem, I just pulled the heads off the shelf and the numbers are 3919480. I`m sure you know what that number fits. The intake is numbered 3885069. The 65 396 may have different numbers but the later models 396/427`s special high performance parts are the same. The early cam [65] will not work correctly in the later models because of the grove in the cam bearings. and has a different part number But similar lift ect. The exhaust manifolds look identical to the ones on my 68 L88 car but I could not read the numbers. GM did offer a 360 HP in the Chevelles. I presume a hydraulic cam? :thumbs:

396 RAT

The 65 cam was part # 3863144,.012,.018 lash, intake 61/107, lift .497,
exhaust 102/66, lift.503.

The 66 and later used cam #3963143, lash .024/.028, intake 54/102, lift .5197, exhaust 102/54, lift .5197

Hotter or milder is in how you read a cam, Higher lift? or Longer duration?
Its debatable.

How does the combustion chamber compare between the 65, 66-67,
65 was 4.95 cu in. , 66-67 was 4.92 also the shape was not exactly the same
as I recall. Which did the Camaro use?
65 carb had a prim and secondary of 1.69, L72 was 1.686 for both,
what was on the Camaro?
None of this is all that big a deal, just interesting. Everyone say's there
exactly the same. But are they?





[Modified by 396 RAT, 1:46 PM 11/25/2002]

Ironcross

The head casting numbers on the 67 Camaro 375HP are the same as Corvettes square port closed chamber style. Camaro offered a lower HP car at 325 HP, hydraulic cam and oval port closed chamber head. I believe they are the same as the numbers match from 66 on but not the 65. This type of engine [325 HP ] was taken out of my Bronze 68 and replaced with a 427 66 IP vette engine. The same engine all those dealers retrofitted as Bergers, Yenkos, ect. with a four speed. Much better. It did require a 3000 stall converter to maintain a 850 idle rpm in gear with the solid lifter camshaft as I used the original turbo 400. Had to remove a 3.23 axle with a 4 series carrier and a 4.10 for better response. Vettes and Camaros are fun pieces. :thumbs: