Re: #1 Corvette - #2 Corvette
AMEN!!!
AMEN!!!
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Re: price of originality.....unbelievably expensiv
Ebay & corvettes of Carlilse are not the only places for parts. I used to keep a list in my wallet of my needed spare parts.I recently upgraded to a pda and can keep more information in it.
Small car show swap meets are an excellent place,a fellow selling parts may just think its an old holley,and it ends up being the missing carb your looking for.
Just recently I came across a set of NOS side pipe covers and mufflers for a 1969 vette hanging from the ceiling of a customers garage that went into the hands of a happy vette owner for only $400.00 I seen a set of covers at corvettes of carlilse this year for $2800.00 .
So there are some parts out there.We just have to look for them a little harder.Comment
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Re: price of originality.....unbelievably expensiv
Larry:
Your right of course. I do hit almost all the swap meets out here in California, as I am retired and do have a lot of time for this. But the pickens are pretty darn slim to finding '68 thru '72 era Corvette parts. Occassionally I'll run across a Corvette part at a yard sale, probably the last time I found a bargain was at the 1991 Reno swap meet, where I picked up a tri-power base plate for $5.Comment
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Re: you don't need "correct" parts
This is very true. In '92, I built an L88 of sorts. It was all the same specs, just not L88 numbered parts. It was a '74 OTC 7.4L block I picked up for $400. A bunch of numbers stamped in the pad were not going to make or break horsepower.
Other parts were picked up here and there, like the aluminum heads. The intake was the Edelbrock copy of the L88 intake. Plain old Holley, no special numbers. By the time I was done, I had an engine that propelled a '66 corvette to 185 mph for the kingly sum of $2300.
You can't buy the correct numbered block for that today.
And it looked close enough to most to not care, although I really didn't care, as I painted the heads orange, just so people wouldn't realize what was there.
99% of all people looking at your Corvette are not going to know if it is original or not.
Back in '85, I had the 427 out of my '68 for some work and while doing that, i had a 402 in there. Pulled into a gas station and my brother got out. 4 kids there on bikes, and they were all looking at the car. "Wow, is that really a 427 mister?" one asked. My brother said, "No, it has a 402 in it." They were crestfallen.
I asked him why he told them that. The hood wasn't open, and they wouldn't have known even if it was. And it would have really made their day to see a 427, even if it was on a 25 cid diet that day.
A 454, a 396, or any big block with a few dress up items like the right valve covers and the right air cleaner are going to be close enough for most. It isn't like you are trying to sell it to them. It makes them happy, it lets you drive it, and you save your original.
Where's the downside?Comment
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Re: you don't need "correct" parts
Mike:
You and Mark, make a valid point, no question. But having a somewhat rare, unique engine such as a '71 LS-6, or '70 Boss 429, '69 ZL-1 or some other fairly low production motor is for a lot of us what we strive to own and preserve. The rarity, legend, lore, whatever makes us want one is the reason to recreate it correctly, if unable to acquire a "factory assembled" unit.
Putting together an engine from similar parts just isn't the same, and in the end, that's just what it is, another home built version of a rare and desireable factory built example.
I've done what you and Mark suggest. In 1988 I took a '71 LS-5 coupe and made it into a LS-6. I created it correctly to all outside appearances, except to change redline on tachometer. I even created a correct removeable rear valence panel for a side exhaust car, nobody could figure out how the quarters and panel were altered, it looked perfect. Today this car sits in a warehouse owned by an investor who has been purportedly claiming this to be the genuine article!
However, even though I could have fooled most of the general Corvette lovers of the world, I KNEW that it wasn't the real McCoy, and that, just didn't sit well with me. I love owning the rare factory built, high performance models of most musclecars, and knowing that the "guts" of the engine are as the factory intended is what makes the engine really unique in my eyes.
Out here in California, at any car show you go to, when a muscle cars hood is propped open, you can bet, what you'll find is a set of Hookers, Edlebrock heads, manifold, aftermarket ignition (name your choice) and assorted chrome and billet aluminum accessories. I'm not knocking this choice, it's just not my cup of tea. I love to go fast, just more vintage factory style that's all.Comment
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you have answered the question
Your original post discussed the cost of buying original parts and that the original cars are then relegated to "trailer queen" status because they essentially become "undriveable" as you cannot afford to take a chance driving them. Without knowing it, you have, in effect, taken your car from a fun pastime to an obsession and are now possibly wishing you had approached things differently. Your car has gone down the same path as your prior LS6 clone and you can't enjoy it anymore.
Most people that post on this board know this all too well! Look how many 1967 BB cars, 1957 fuelies, and other Corvettes now NEVER see the light of day except at a car show. How do I know? I've been there too! From my experience, I would guess you get a lot more pleasure from a good 6000 RPM 2-3 shift then from sitting at the show making sure some $&*^$ doesn't key your paint. That's why I still haven't restored my L89 after nearly 22 years - I just like driving it too much!
Re-read your first post and the one above, give it some thought, and the answer will become clear for you. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks, do what you want with your car and most importantly, enjoy yourself because life's too short to waste!
Hope this helps,
MarkComment
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Re: you don't need "correct" parts
Warren, you are going down the same,"wrong" road again. I only say wrong in this context-If you want a good driving, good looking car to whip around the country in with little thought of deteriorating investment nagging at your head, then don't worry about and exact and expensive repo. You obviously have the skills to put together a hot-running car that is well-balanced and sort of generally correct. I bet it would be a blast for you, and the car would never have to see the inside of a trailer. John is crafting something pretty cool but totally incorrect out of an essentially non-restorable car. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun to make and to drive.
SteveComment
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You better hope Mrs. Clem doesn't read this or...
your going to be buying her a new dress. .Comment
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You read this backwards.
I'm not saying to fake or clone a car, I'm saying have your original and enjoy it, too.
I'm not suggesting build an LS6 out of an LS5 or an L48, but rather build a cheap LS5 out of an original LS5.
No one suggested Hookers or a typical Rot Hod Magazine engine. Build it with all Chevy parts, or not. The old Edelbrock intakes of the era were clones of the L88 intake, so if it has the snowflake or an Edelbrock isn't a big deal except one is $50 and the other $500 or more. Grind off the Edelbrock if you need to.
Take your original rare engine out, build the fake or clone engine, and drive it.
However, if you build the clone engine too clone, then you are nearly at the point of the original in expense and rarity. Instead, build the clone with cheaper common parts. A Chevelle or Impala 454 block instead of a Corvette 454 block, for example.
This way you can blast around town, drive 2000 miles to Bloomington or Carlisle, hit the Friday night cruise night in town or 100 miles away, shift at 6500, burn the tires, and never have to worry about that expensive rare engine being used up or destroyed.
If you somewhere along the way need to hit a judging event or whatever, have a couple of friends over the Saturday before and change the engine. Then you have your original rare engine you can't drive and have fun with in the car so you can judge it or show it.
Get home, swap the cheap clone back in, burn a 200 ft patch of rubber.
There is no magic in a set of numbers, except to a judging sheet and a bank account.Comment
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