L88 Street driven

[Walter F.]

Were L88 street driven, as didn't they need special fuel ? Where was that fuel available ? As a kid only remembet high test and regular.

[Terry D.]

Re: L88 Street driven

Some were street driven, but it was usually just to the local drive in to race or show off. They were not much fun to drive on the street. They ran on 100 octane hi-test, usually Sunoco or Amaco around here, or you could go to the local airport and buy aviation fuel, which I think at that time was about 115 octane.

[Edward C.]

Re: L88 Street driven

When L88s were being made the fuel was available at the pump. There was Sunoco 260 which was high octane and everything was leaded. It was not like it is today. Race type fuels were easy to get.

[Michael W.]

Re: L88 Street driven

Sunoco 260 back in the day was 102-104 RON octane, which be equivalent to 98-100 AKI octane today.

[John D.]

Re: L88 Street driven

I once drove a 67 chevelle with a 427 that a friend built up to L88 specs minus the aluminum heads. It was an unwieldy beast that would barely idle.
It knocked on high test . He got some fuel from the track and it ran fine.

[Tom B.]

Re: L88 Street driven

Back in '67 there was a L88 in Ft. Wayne that saw street duty. I saw it in the showroom when it was new, a Lyndale Blue convertible. Steve Brohard knows about it. I stopped to look at a used '66 SS396 Malibu but ended up buying a new 442. Sunoco 260 was at every Sunoco station and Union76 had 104 octane premium.

Tom

[Ed S.]

Re: L88 Street driven

My boss at an automotive tire retail store in NJ back in 1969 bought a '67 convertible L88 (very low miles - almost all drag strip) and regularly drove it on the street. It took a good bit of work in the company shop to get the strip-setup (suspension - engine tune) undone. He drove it daily for about a month, maybe a bit more. I got a few rides in it - like being on a rocket sled. He ran with a shady bunch of characters - got tired of the car and could not sell it for what he paid -- couldn't do without a radio or heater. Then one night it was mysteriously (conveniently) stolen -- insurance covered the car. I heard from other sources that the car was chopped up and sold for parts.

[Ralph S.]

Re: L88 Street driven

I was working at Luby Chevrolet in Boston in 1969 and a kid going to Northeastern University drove up to the dealer in a gold 1969 L-88 Coupe to buy some floor mats. He had driven up to Boston from New York.I remember saying to him YOU ARE GOING TO PARK THAT ON THE STREET IN BOSTON ? We never saw him or the car again. The car was brand new at the time.

[Joe L.]

Re: L88 Street driven

The cams in the L-88 and, even worse, the ZL-1 were completely unsuitable for street driving. I wouldn't use one of those cams for a street car EVER.

[Walter F.]

Re: L88 Street driven

Thanks for the info.

[Don H.]

Re: L88 Street driven

If I remember correctly, the early (and maybe all) L-88's did not have a radiator fan shroud. This was fine for racing use but increased the likely hood of over heating on the street. Don H.

[Joe L.]

Re: L88 Street driven

If I remember correctly, the early (and maybe all) L-88's did not have a radiator fan shroud. This was fine for racing use but increased the likely hood of over heating on the street. Don H.

Don-----


Yes, no radiator fan shrouds on any L-88's.

[Mark D.]

Re: L88 Street driven

Except M40 equipped 69's.

[Joe L.]

Re: L88 Street driven

Except M40 equipped 69's.

Mark------


Yes, they used the same radiator and shroud as L-36 and L-68 with M-40.

[Duke W.]

Re: L88 Street driven

...no vacuum advance either. One was in place only to keep the pickup coil base plate from rotating, but the nipple was cut off at the plant so a hose could not be connected. This along with the lack of a fan shroud gave them a propensity to overheat in low speed traffic.

The minimum idle speed was about 1500 and very gnarly due to the extreme valve overlap... don't know what manifold vacuum is at 1500, but probably well under 10" Hg. The valve overlap and lack of vacuum advance also caused very high fuel consumption.

Cold starting and warm up was dicey because they lacked a choke/fast idle system.

Technically, '67s were not legal to register for road use anywhere in the USA because they did not have a closed crankcase ventilation system. PCV was added in '68 to keep GM out of trouble with the EPA.

A sticker on the center console stated that the minimum fuel requirement was 103 RON, which would be 98-99 in today's PON. On the west coast we had Chevron Custom Supreme (white pump), which was probably the only pump gas they would run on out west without significant detonation.

Duke