My friend wants a fast C3 corvette. Please help.

I'm from Western Kentucky. My friend is crazy about corvettes (specifically the C3 body style). I took him for a ride in my 6 speed 2000 WS6 Pontiac Trans Am (LS1) and he wants a C3 corvette with this kind of performance. We've been researching and he isn't impressed with the numbers he's seen so far. 250 horsepower for the L82, and 165 horsepower for the base 350.

I explained to him that the newer cars are faster and the older corvettes aren't going to be able to keep up with a C5 Corvette (or a car powered by the C5 engine) and it is my opinion that the LS1 is one of the fastest 350s (346) ever produced by GM so finding a Corvette from that range that would be capable of keeping up with an LS1 would be hard to come by unless it's modified. But he doesn't really care if it'll keep up with me or not, he just wants a Corvette that gives you that suck you back in your seat feeling, and one that allows you to feel the power through all the gears.

I don't really know much of anything about the C3 Corvettes, other than what I read about the horsepower ratings.

My questions:

1. What C3 model should he go for (he wants something affordable preferably under $15,000.) He also wants it to be a manual. Where could I find these cars for sale on the internet. I believe autotrader only goes down to 1982.

2. What kind of performace should he expect from this model? 0 to 60 time, quarter mile, top speed, horsepower per weight ratio?

3. He would consider getting a cheap C3 with a beat up engine and just doing an engine swap on it. What engine should he go for with Performance and Affordability as factors? Link please.

Thank you very much for your help.

Collectorcartraderonline.com is a good site for finding classic cars. If I had the money I would buy a C3 and swap in the T56 and LS1.

I found my C3 on carsoup.com, there are a whole bunch of them on sale in my area. Also check ebay, but then you have to beware of the scammers. I wouldn't buy a C3 without first inspecting it AND having a mechanic look at it for $100. The two biggest things to look for are frame rust and bird cage rot, both of which can be very expensive to fix.

1. If he wants to go cheaper, just cross out the chrome bumper cars (68-73) right now. The difference in price is huge. I would say look for a 74-77, they are probably the cheapest, and the 74 is the best year for modding because they are emissions free.

2. Don't expect good performance from anything in those years, they are all dogs. He should plan on spending 5k-8k for one in decent condition, then pull the motor and plan on spending 2k-5k on the motor depending on how fast he really wants to go. If he does all the work, 5k would easily be enough to get you into the 10s, which is pretty fast for a street car.

3. As far as performance, I rebuilt the 350 in my Corvette for less than $2000, and I can smoke any LS1 powered Corvette (or Camaro for that matter), anywhere, anytime. Performance parts are very cheap and readily available for these cars. He could build a 500hp 383 stroker for $3000-4000 that would easily run low-mid 11s in the 1/4, not many cars on the street can keep up with that. Check out www.corvetteforum.com for all the info he could need, you just need to look for it a little bit. This is the guide I used to build my motor, it's a hell of a deal. http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/440hp_vortec_small_block/

Good luck man

Thank you very much.

74 with a big block, while not cheap, may fall in your friend's price range and will give decent performance. Of course, if he really wants performance to match your 2000 trans am, he'll probably end up having to build on a solid foundation--a good price on a 75-77 will leave 8-9k out of the 15k budget left for upgrades, which is more than enough to get your friend some pretty significant performance. Additionally, depending on where you live, a 75-77 may prove a great performance bargain with some very inexpensive upgrades. In some states (read: the one I live in) cars no longer get tested for emissions after they hit 30 years old. Meaning...an exhaust, some suspension parts, a bigger carb and no cat puts you well into the 200s as far as horsepower goes. Additionally, a stock 76 with just the L-48 engine had 180hp and 270 ft/lbs of torque bone stock. Your torque figures, while not having the glory of horsepower, are also a key indicator of performance. Also, a 75-77 has relatively low collectibility due to large production numbers, so they are ideal for building them to your own preference.

my own personal reccomendation would be the '71 with the ls6 454, 4 spd...wouldn't like the 4.11:1 gears too much foe highway driving, but is still a kickass car! best of luck finding one in the price range, but if you do, would be WELL worth it!

I would go to http://forums.corvetteforum.com/ and cruise the C3 forum for awhile, and would check the cars for sale area. As for a C3 not keeping up, depends on what he buys. Lots of resto-rods available that will run with the new cars. Can't beat the cool factor of an older Vette, and he won't suffer from depreciation!

Let me tell you it is not easy but I have 75 vette that has gone 196mph on a road corse and is street leagal. By the way it went 10.70 1/4 mile. I have about 14,000$ in it

wow findsing a C3 that can run witha LS1 is going to be hard unless he dumps the orginal motor and goes for a GMPP crate motor.

Guys,

REALTY CHECK: The original 350 engines through the '70s, except the '71 are ALL "anemic". They are, however, the basis for the most popular racing and performance engine on the planet. A change of heads, induction, cam and exhaust will turn a 180 HP turd into a seathing monster. Saying an early small block won't perform as well as LSx is simply not realistic.

My point here is to NOT pay any attention to factory "ratings" of the era. They are meaningless unless you're into "numbers match" stock. It's easy and relatively inexpensive to build a good running small block. 383 gets my "vote". 500 HP on 93 octane is done every day... And for a LOT less money than building an LS-2 or something like that.

Not to say LSx isn't a good choice. It's a GREAT engine. Just not the ONLY great one.

And GM Performance "craters" are NOT the "cat's meow". They're just as sloppy as any other production Chevy engine. For the same number of dollars, a good machine shop can SMOKE 'em!

Jim

Too Bad For Your Friend :naughty:

Scared my wife one time in my '74 - she said not to go so fast

I only punched it to 30 MPH :jerking:
I think the 2 four barrel Edelbrock carbs help a bit!
She will push ya into the seat on the jump!