Shark Racer

:eek:

I don't know what happened, but that car is fast-fast-fast. It hit very fast speeds in very small amounts of time.

You don't have time to think twice about whether or not you want to go 60 mph. When I said 0-60 in under 5, I have little doubts the car could do it in under 4, with a really careful foot.

I am quiiiite speechless. My car feels slower than ever now.

(0-60 in 7.15 seconds on the g-tech today)

-Steve

Les

Thanks big buddy! I'm glad I could finally deliver on the ride I promised a while back...& glad you enjoyed it. :cheers: I had a great time at our meet today- sweet cars & fine company.

Thanks to Chuck Harmon & his lovely wife Leslie for being such good hosts! :thumbs: The food was killer! After looking down into his 427 block & seeing that nasty roller cam, I can't wait til he zips that baby back together! And after over a year, it was damned good to see Tom & his wife again too. His black GTO is a real keeper!

Steve, I've seen your Vette under throttle & it certainly ISN'T slow! Hope to see you & the troops again soon- and, as far as I'm concerned, your grandmother is welcome anytime :yesnod:

Shark Racer

I'm still spinning from your ride. We really need to try to pin a 0-60 time on that thing.

I bet if we got lucky, we could see it break into the high 3 second range. It's REALLY hard to pin down, cuz traction is gonna be such a delicate thing! I told Chuck after you left, that your right knee looked a little strained from feathering the throttle so much.

I'm not so envious of the big block guys anymore! :)

-Steve

PS 0-60 in 7.1 on the way home tonight, w/ a crappy launch. I'm gonna try again tomorrow when I find a nice open stretch of road.

Jughead

Might be time to consider a BB transplant Steve. :D

Mystery Machine

I have never ridden in a BB car let alone drive on myself, I'm sure it's a trip! :eek:

groovyjay

:iagree: BB is the answer! :cheers: :steering:

AGVI

Do Big Blocks have the longevity of small blocks? Are they more work to maintain? Thanks, Les :D

Shark Racer

I'm fairly sure the engine lasts quite a long time - it's everything behind it that has a field day. Even then, if you just drive the car normally, it should last a long time.

The neat thing about Les's car is the amount of power he has at any RPM range. He literally just barely touches the throttle and the car scoots. I don't think rain will EVER be an option for him.

-Steve

stpman

It's quite the Blast :D

Steve :steering:

Les

AGVI,
Generally speaking, built carefully w/ the right parts they're comparable. In both cases durability is affected more by type of usage & maintainence IMO. However, the wilder the motor is the harder it's likely to be run because we build performance motors to enjoy that performance- I know, I'm being the apostle of the obvious here
:lol:

In my case I built my motor, not to be the baddest in the land, but to be the baddest I could build to run on pump gas with my trans/torque converter/rear gearing combo & still enjoy it on the street in a car with essentially stock suspension & brakes. Talking w/ Chuck Harmon yesterday I realized that we have similar philosophies- neither of us wants to get into the power adders like nitrous or blowers. Those who do get into that make huge power & I totally respect their choice to do so & I also respect the power they make- very impressive! Would I like to drive or ride in one of those- Hell yea!

I'm going a bit off-topic here but a good buddy of mine w/ a beautiful 68 Camaro just made a blower motor out of a 427 that had been good for close to 500 HP before. Now he's probably in the 600-650 HP range w/ incredible torque but is finding that he can't begin to put that power to the ground. This now calls for tubbing & suspension work to make the car capable of dealing w/ all that power. Brakes to match will take more mods(& money).

All I'm saying is that I chose to keep it simple & still fast(hopefully). This is probably much more info than you were looking for but your question just got me thinking about choices & related philosophy. :cheers:

Mark70

I know Les has a really awesome car.....beautiful, clean and (from what I could tell by the engine and drivetrain specs), fast!! I'd really like a chance to see Les' and Chuck's cars run hard some day. I missed everyone at the Historics weekend in Monterey this year.....I just couldn't go!! I hope to see you guys in 2004!!

Hey, I've got a little OT question, if you don't mind. I have the opportunity to buy a 427, supposedly built to L88 specs.....12.0:1 compression, with everything built, magnafluxed, and wrapped in plastic. I don't have the specifics about the components used, but I could easily get them. The guy wants $1200 for the assembly. Is that a good deal? I'd still have to buy everything else (heads, intake, exhaust, etc.), plus I'd have to convert the usual SB to BB stuff. How much do you think a conversion like this will cost?

Smokehouse69

Mark,
This is just a guess-timate, and I'm not trying to put you off from doing it, but considering aluminum BB heads run at least $1000-1100 each, then you'd need a cam,lifters, rockers, pushrods,gaskets you cound easily spend another $1000, plus pan, rocker covers, intake, oil pump, water pump, fuel pump, intake, distributor and ignition another $1000 or more. Then you have to figure out what you're going to do for brackets and accessories. Finding the right BB accessory brackets, and pulleys isn't all that easy, in fact it might be easier to go with a Serpentine system from March or Zoops, which could be another $1000.00 or more. So by the time you add all those $1000.00 up, you could run into some serious money, $6000+ not counting the $1200 the guy wants for the block.
Then you face upgrading your suspension and cooling system, that could be another $1000 to $1500.
Last year Bence built his BB and he did most of the work himself, and did some careful shopping, I think he ended up spending better than $6000.00.

Jughead

:iagree:
$6,000 That's about right. But he's got one heck of a BB. Mine will probably come in around there also. I couldn't dole out that much at one time, so I chose the piece meal approch. It's more affordable that way(for me). :lol:

Mark, that's a great price if the crank & pistons are already installed. I paid almost as much for the block & crank. I don't know about the 12 CR though.
:eek:

Chuck Harmon

Mark70,

The opportunity to get the L88 spec block sounds pretty good IF it has been done right. That's pretty much how I got started on my BB journey. But, with the extra power, everything else had better be up to snuff. This is usually where things get expensive.

The 12:1 doesn't bother me too much. That is what I've got. Personally, I think it is the key to the high numbers mine makes. 483 hp at the rear wheels from a purely stock spec L88 is more horsepower than all but a few unblown/unjuiced cars make on this forum. With more modern heads, intake, and cam I have little doubt that I would make 600rwhp.

But for me, the 500rwhp mark is just fine. I can break the tires loose anytime at or below 100mph simply by sticking my foot to the floor. It really depends how you intend to use the car. If it is to be a daily driver, lower compression and milder cam will be a wiser choice. Les' '69 is an excellent combination for an incredibly strong BB with impeccable manners. You already have the hood so you would be in good shape there.

On a side note, your gorgeous black car really put me over the edge in considering BLACK to repaint mine. Then I see Les’ car and remember what mine looked like the day I drove it home 30 years ago. Decisions, decisions!

Chuck

Shark Racer

Chuck - What you need is a Mustang Mach 1.

Then you can have it in a nice blue shade with a black stripe down it...

Maybe something to consider for the L-88?

-Steve

Mark70

Thanks for all the information!!

Hey Steve, I appreciate the dollar amounts. It helps me to get a better idea of what's involved. The engine is an assembled short block, but I don't know exactly what components were used. The guy is a friend of my dad's, and he does meticulous work, from what my dad tells me.....always first class.

How's it going Len??!! Your BB project going well? See, now you got me hooked!! ;) heh heh heh.

Chuck, I see 12:1 CR isn't a problem for you, but I wonder where you get your gas? I was thinking more like of Les' idea of a powerful pump gas engine, but your power numbers are astounding!! I was telling my wife about spinning the tires at 100mph, and for some reason, she didn't think that sounded very good!! :lol: I think it sounds GREAT!! :cool: I know I'm biased, but I think that black C3's look really nice (although they are lots of work to keep clean). Actually, I like just about all the colors, and I had a difficult time deciding when I got my car repainted. Hey, I know....maybe I can have a bunch of C3's in different colors!! I'm sure my wife will like that idea!!

I'll have to think about the L88 deal, though. I'd really like to get a ROD 6-speed, too, and I'm not sure I can get the BB and the ROD. I could probably swing a 350/383 and the ROD, though. Hmmmm.....decisions, decisions. And yet, I figure my wife will be "helping" me make the final decision. Actually, she's really great....she only gives me flak when my eyes glaze over talking about HP!! heh heh heh

Shark Racer

Having ridden in Les's car, I can see the tension he has trying to keep the car pointed straight. It takes very very little throttle to get that big block moving.

It's not at all like a small block - power is instantaneous. Don't think of the throttle so much as an induction level so much so as an "immaturity level". :)

If you feel like going stupid fast, you need only do more than baby the throttle.

Am I envious? You bet. The small block will give you something that I more recently felt in a 97 M3. The M3 went as fast as you told it to go. My vette always seemed to be willing to go, of course, a 5.7L V8 is much torquier than a 3.0(?)L straight six. But compared to the big block, the vette feels much more like the M3. The only options are fast, really fast, and stupid-fast. :)

-Steve

1969Vette383

Les, beautiful car. That's what mine is supposed to look like, right down to the color.
Here's what mine looks like (when it's running): http://briefcase.yahoo.com/avanti63r1025

I will eventually go back to correct fenders, rear upper deck and LeMans Blue paint, but I'm thinking about going with the 2004 version :cool:

BB? Not for me. I like dropping weight, though that ZL-1 crate GM is offering is tempting. I've got the itch to put an LS1 or LS6 in my car, punch it to 427+ cubic inches, mate it to a T-56, slap some 4.10 rear gears in, widen the rear tires from 295 to 315 while shrinking the fronts from 295 to 275 or so. Rubbing the front tires on either sway bar or fender is NOT fun.

I'd be pleased with 400 or so naturally aspirated horsies. Though I know for sure I want 450+ pound feet of pavement twist please :D Give me more TQ than HP any day.

Les

Mark,
It's good to see you jump in here- unless something really strange happens I expect to be at the Historics next year & it'd sure be nice to see you & your Vette there again. Good luck w/ that 427 if you choose to buy it- it has the potential to be absolutely wicked!

Steve,
You're right- no way I'd try driving on wet pavement. I got stuck one night in a summer shower & had a helluva time getting the car rolling from a stop- & this was before changing to my current intake, heads, cam, & looser torque converter. And yea, on your ride I was not totally comfortable w/ not being familiar w/ the amount of grip available on that stretch of pavement, not to mention having little room on either side if the car didn't wanna stay straight. That's why I shifted about 1000 RPMs short of power peak- that shift into 2nd gear can unsettle the car a bit sometimes.

1969Vette350,
Thanks bud- after looking at your pics you have a nice car too :cheers:
Hey, if you have the $$$ to buy a new ZL-1 you're doin alot better than me! A big inch LS6 would be incredible- I can't believe the amount of power some folks are pulling out of them. You'd be well above your stated HP & torque goals w/ one of those. :thumbs:

Jughead

I think my BB project is turning into a life-long project. :lol: There is no vaccine for this bug Mark. Only lack of funds eventually. :lol:

Get the engine this year and add the tranny later.