alconk

Did you buy new valve covers or did you refinish them because I had the hardest time stripping the paint and really never did get down to the bare finish.

rudolph schenker

Stroked 383.........


I do like the fact that you are keeping the Cross-Fire

LS6 Motor

I hope you did something with the rear end because I scattered three of them 30 years ago when I bought my first new Vette which was a 1980. I rebuilt the original motor and punched it out to a 355 with 11:1 pistons, big cam, etc., and for whatever reason it always seemed to let loose on a Saturday night around 2:30 AM

alconk

Did you buy new valve covers or did you refinish them because I had the hardest time stripping the paint and really never did get down to the bare finish.

LS6 Motor

They are new aluminum pieces. The originals which are magnesium were at best a poor design. They are very susceptible to premature wear if there are any leaks with the green coolant due it's composition. I tried to refinish the originals by powdercoating them but I wasn't happy with the results and neither was my powdercoater. I will use Dexcool when I fill the system plus it isn't harmful to aluminum which is what most engines are made of in new vehicles.

rudolph schenker

Funny you should mention that. I have an iron unit from a 1979, with 3:73 gears built by a well known Forum member ( Gary Ramadei). I knew these aluminum diffs were weak.

LS6 Motor

I wondered if anybody was doing that. Back then I found a shop in Virginia that took an early 70's big block rear diff and modified my rear truss to fit that unit. They also set me up with big block half-shafts and the correct u-joints so everything bolted right up. I had then use 3:73 gears and I was running a turbo 350 with a mild stall converter. The car hooked up pretty good but looked all stock. The only problem was you could hear the cam.