Robey5

Cruising to work, saw a kid about my age with an early 70s C3. The paint was rather rough, but he prob. was going to work on that later...

My question: the thing had a L82 -- or maybe a L88 decal on the hood. What motor is this? It had stock exhaust, but when he got on it, WOW was it good sounding. Did not sound like a low hp v8, but rather a wet and ready sleeper. Maybe he did some work??? I dunno. Just curious.
Thanks.


[Modified by Robey5, 4:35 PM 7/30/2003]

Larry B.

L-82 was the emission years version of an optional high performance engine starting in 73 (rubber bumper in front, chrome in back) The L-82 badges on the hood started in 75. They were, in stock form a pretty docile engine. The L-88"s were available in 67(C2) and 68-69 only. They are quite rare and pruduced over 500 HP. These are not street driven cars and require 104 octane fuel, have no fan shrouds, radio's, heaters or defrosters. I doubt you saw an L-88. Most likely an L-82.


[Modified by bluevetteman, 5:45 PM 7/30/2003]

Shark Racer

An L-88 does not have a docile idle.

An L-82 has a fairly docile idle, but it does have a bit of a mechanical lope! Very high duration for a street motor. Surprising that it passes smog. :)

Probably an L-82...

-Steve

Robey5

So,
Then the L82 - is a high hp 350? or...???

Neo Fender

The L-82 made its debut in 1973 as the throttled down smog successor to the original LT-1. With a 9.0:1 compression ratio, 2.02-inch intake/1.60-inch exhaust valves, and hydraulic lifters, it was rated at 250 net horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 285 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. The L-82 has large port cylinder heads, pushrod guideplates, a long duration camshaft, a forged-steel crankshaft, moly rings, finned aluminum valve covers, a high capacity starter and a four-bolt block.

Horsepower ratings varied from year to year as Chevrolet attempted to meet changing emissions and fuel economy requirements. L-82 horsepower ratings ranged from a high of 250 in 1973-1974 to a low of 205 in 1975. In 1980, its last year of production, the L-82 was rated at 230 horsepower.




[Modified by Neo Fender, 9:09 AM 7/31/2003]

Tom73

One additional comment for the L82. When it was introduced in '73 it was only down 5 hp from the LT1 of 72 :D The magazine test of the day put their performance dead even. I like to think of the L82 as a lower compression version of the famed L46 (350ci/350hp). In fact they both used the same cam which has a very nice lope to it.

Except for the very early 70's, the L82 was the high performance engine of the 70's.

tom...

wcsinx

I like my L82. :D And they have a decent bite once you desmog these puppies!

nicecurves79

:iagree: :cheers: :cool: if you want more info on L-82's check out the history section of http://www.l-82.com

bowtied

I really enjoy mine. The L82, mated with the 4 speed, makes for a fun drive.

page62

Yup. The L-82 is a sweet engine. It's not a ZZ4, but it does OK fine for me!

BTW: There are many C3's running around with L82 badges that don't have an L82 engine. When buying a Vette, check the engine VIN code to be sure.

Paul L

This is a late L-82 engine. (Flint, Michigan not Mexico. Sorry Dwayne, I could not resist!)




[Modified by paul67, 3:34 PM 8/5/2003]

Dwayne 76

The L-82 is a 350 correct? What would it take to turn say, an L-48 into an L-82? My L-48 has had a mild build up, and is now a 355 Cid. Is that comparable to the output of an L-82, or is this Apples and oranges?? The L-48 is two bolt main and the L-82 is a four bolt main, right? But since niether engine can produce enough HP to sheer the bolts off I think that would be negligable. So, other then that one is a two bolt the other is a 4 can an L-48 match the ouput of the L-82?


[Modified by Dwayne 76, 1:40 PM 8/5/2003]

Fasteighty

Yep...and here's one with the air cleaner assembly on.

Tom73

The power of the L82 over the L48 is the basic hot rod route; higher compression, big valve heads, larger exhaust pipes, and a wilder cam. Easy mods for the L48. But the big thing about the L82 was the stronger components used in the lower end. Besides the 4-bolt main block, it had a forged steel crank (L48 had Nodular iron crank), and Alum. impact extruded pistons (L48 was cast). The L82 was a great platform to build a performance engine. :)

tom...

Dwayne 76

Tom, my engine was rebuilt like I said. It has, I beleive flat head pistons, a better cam, not sure which one, but it isn't stock as per Superfast80. I don't know if my L-48 is really an L-48 anymore, and more of an L-82 or L-46

Paul L

Apples-and-oranges. An overbore of 0.030" to get 355cid is just a minor bore clean-up. Five cid on 350 is a 1.4% increase in displacement.

Dwayne 76

Plus flat heads, new cam...

Paul L

I was speaking simply of displacement. A 0.030" overbore simply means that 50% of the life of the block is gone as the max is 0.060".


[Modified by paul67, 3:40 PM 8/5/2003]

Dwayne 76

...Actually I have a 0.40 overbore. And no, that dosn't mean you've lost 50% of the life of the motor, or more with a 0.40. You could say it lost some years, but not as many as 50% :rolleyes: I was wondering though, with .040 bore, and the flat head pistons, and the more aggresive cam, if my car is closer to an L-82, or an L-46 (what is an L-46, anyone have numbers on that Puppy?).

wcsinx

Well someone correct me if I'm wrong (like I needed to say that), but IIRC the biggest bottleneck in an L48 is the heads. Also as someone already mentioned the bottom end of an L82 is much stronger than an L48. The L46 was a pre smog, 350 hp, 350 ci SBC, uhm ... 11:1 cr, 64 cc (much different beast)