jeff@qubix.UUCP (06/12/84)
>From jeff Fri Jun 8 17:20:49 1984
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id AA10032; Fri, 8 Jun 84 17:20:31 pdt
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 84 17:20:31 pdt
From: jeff (Jeff Buchanan)
Message-Id: <8406090020.AA10032@qubix.uucp>
To: idi!kiessig, jeff@qubix.uucp
Subject: Re: Ferrari vs Big block Corvette
Status: RO
In response to your response to my suggestion about putting a
big block Chevy in your '84 Corvette, if you are at all thinking about
it you should contact me
408-370-9229
408-866-9573 days
Jeff Buchanan
2279 Datoro Dr.
San Jose, Ca 95130
What I suggested about putting a big block in a '84 Vette is
quite possile in principle, but if it were easy to do and there were no
disadvantages (relative to leaving it stock) I would have already done
it to my own '84 Corvette. I've been building engines and putting them
into cars since 1971, so I know a little bit about what I'm talking about.
These have all (except for one) been L-88 big block Chevy types and mostly
the cars have been Corvettes.
Addressing the question of "how can I get more performance out of
my '84 Vette?", what I suggested was a way of doing this that is on the
far end of a wide spectrum of ideas. In other words, there are maybe a
hundred ways of increasing the performance of an '84 Vette. Generally
speaking, the better (spelled more horsepower) the performance, the less streeta
streetable the car would be. My idea represents the extreme: maximize
performance, minimize streetability. There are compromise methods whereby
you would get good but not great performance but maintain most of the
streetability you now have. A stock Corvette represents the other extreme:
fantastically good streetability but terrible performance. Let me give
two other examples of performance increase. Keep the small block but
make it faster. With this approach, you could replace the cam with a much
more radical grind (the stock cam is extremely mild) one like the famous
"off road" cam offered by Chevy, replace the heads with the angle plug
heads, and install headers (I don't know if anyone makes small block
headers for a '84 Vette). Any amount of mods less than this doesn't make
sense cause the performance gain would be so tiny you might not be able
to detect it. In other words if you only put on headers but keep the same
heads and cam, you would still have gone to a lot of trouble and expense
but the ultra low performance of the stock heads and cam would keep any
header benefits from being felt. Since those three components work together
you pretty much have to do all three or forget about it. Of course you
would still be stuck with low compression pistons but that's not so bad
cause high octane gas has not been available (except at airports) since about
1973. You would also be stuck with the weak bottom end pieces (I assume
these engines come with two bolt mains, iron cranks, and little rods)
but that's OK too cause you still won't have all that much horsepower.
Another performane approach which is much more work and expense
and only a little less streetable is to install a big block but one that
is much milder than my "830 HP" big block.
I can really appreciate your desire to get more ponies out of
your Vette. When I step down on the gas of my '84 I say "where's
the horsepower?". The thing is, I never consider increasing the performance
even though I know how simply because I would never be satisfied with
anything less than great performance. The Corvette is not a compromise
car, so the only thing that makes sense to me is to have another car
for performance and leave the Corvette alone and appreciateit for what
it is. I hope I don't sound like I have a pompus attitude because I
don't. I'm certainly not critisizing anyone for accepting mediocre
performance, it's just that I drove a 10 second car every day on the street
in 1970-1975, and that to me is acceptable performanceIf I tried to make my '84 into a 10 second car, I would have to make it
unstreetable to the point that I wouldn't enjoy doing the things I do
now, for instance I couldn't just jump in the car and cruise up to Lake
Tahoe like I can now, or take my girl friend out on a date. It makes more
sense to have two cars, one slow and streetable, one fast and exciting
that way I've got the best of both worlds.
I would like very much to share some of my ideas with you if
you still want to get more performance out of your car. By the way, I've
never know anyone else with an '84 Vette. How is yours equipped and
how do you like it? What color is it?
--
Jeff Buchanan @ QUBIX Graphic Systems, Inc., Saratoga, CA.
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