What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

[Jay G.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

Like the Sm Blk 327/350 L-79 with M-20 wide ratio and 3:55 gears. Best overall. Its conserv. off the line but nice cruise at 65MPH. Like the 300lbs weight loss compared to the BB's. Which seem to feel like your pushin a plow. (threw the twisties) No offense to the 427 cars. 396's in my GM cars sastify that low end Torque fix.

[Bill M.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

Jay

Love 365 hp and my 350 hp but the 396 torque is what i am missing

Bill

[Jay G.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

Bill Had a 63 340HP L-76 yrs ago. Love those solid lifter engines. On a 65 /365 Hp Very desirable.

[Tim S.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

My stop light racer would be a 70 LT-1 with 4.11's. Car to drive, 427-390 or 400 hp with 3.55's. Great torque, great manners.

[Greg M.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

More Corvette trivia.
If you had a magic wand what would be the best motor, gerarbox and rear end package you would consider as the best all time Corvette for your garage.
Mine would be a 59-60 C1 in triple black with FI 290 hp, t 10 4 speed and a 4.11 posi rear end with off road exhaust. Oh those poor cloth tires would get the thrashing of their lives.
I'd love to here what people think is the best package.

Wow Stewart, I like the way you think!
My corvette is a 1960 solid white with blue interior, 290 fuel injected, 4-speed, 4:11 posi! We took the body to the restoration shop last Friday and I heard today from the machine shop that the original engine is all apart to be rebuilt (it hasn't run in 35 years, all matching numbers). I already have the fuel injection, transmission, most of the chrome work and all of the stainless done. I hope to have it done in plenty of time for it's 50th birthday (May 27)in 2010. I have owned it for 9 years and can't wait to drive it for the first time!
Greg
1960 #8061

[James G.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

My stop light racer would be a 70 LT-1 with 4.11's. Car to drive, 427-390 or 400 hp with 3.55's. Great torque, great manners.

Tom,
I had a 67 converible with a 427/390 and automatic powerglide AND 3:55 gears. Now that car had so much torque it would really scoot. Many 4 speed cars were caught trying to find a gear, while i was just GONE......

Terrible on gas mileage, but a fun car. It had air conditioning, PS, PB, PW, Speedminder, vinyl hard top, and soft top and from the factory real 'bolt on' wheels.

Should have never sold that car.

[William D.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

My 65 conv 365hp w/ 3.77's is a great ride. Real nice off the line and not to bad at 60 on the xway. My number 1 is a 396 w/3.77 rear and LOUD side pipes. As I get older I don't get smarter.

[William L.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

This and 4:11's!!!!!!!!!! O'YAAAAA. What a red light bandit and a BLAST to drive.

[Mike M.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

Off the line! Off the line! That's all you guys think about; stop light to stop light. I learned long ago to eat 4.56's, 4.11's, 3.70's, and 3.55's with my 3.36 close ratio 4 speed, and I never met a fuelie I couldn't eat either with my 340 hp 63. Guys with those low gears were begging to mix wheels so bad that they'd accept a 30 mph on up run. By the time they were all wound out, I was just shifting into third (my winding gear) and it was sayonara sucker!

Yes, my favorite is just what I have and have had for over 45 years. Never seen another SHP small block it couldn't run away and hide from. Your 30-30 cams and leaky holleys are just trash can bate.

Stu Fox

stu: if you ever get bck east with your 63 340 hp vette and would like to try the 57 283/283 with 4.56 gears, in a 1/4 mile, i'll spot ya 5 car lengths and will probably be headin for the beer cooler at the end of the strip as you pass thru the timing lights. regards, mike

[Richard S.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

Amen William Lacy....you said it all. I can add that the "full time" vacuum advance modification recommended by Duke Williams....and side exhaust makes the 1967 427/435 Corvette Coupe one hell of a ride....

[Stewart A.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

Hey Greg a solid white 1960 with 290hp I think you better be sending me some photos of that. I go all gooey when I see photos of a solid white car. Hey don't be in to much of a rush to get it on the road just take your time and get it right. I tend to over look some items when I'm in a rush an when it's on the road you tend to forget to do them.

[Richard T.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

I like most any straight axle with solid lifters and deep gears. Driving a fuel injected small block at full song is something you never forget. I'm 63 years old but when running around in my 62 I see the world through 18 year old eyes. Rich

[Stuart F.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

Mike;

I knew I could get a rise out of somebody, Ha! How far East does one need to be? I'm down here in Florida and will be over at the winter meet as usual (25 minutes from my house). I would never fall for a 1/4 mile contest, but usually you hot dogs with the 4.56's are so anxious to show me what ya got, you'd fall into my 30 mph and up rolling start (trap). I enjoy just walking away from ya's while you are working up a sweat banging them gears. Like one other poster said; he was 63, but felt 18 behind the wheel of his ride. With me, I'm 69 and feel the same, in fact, I use that as my heart therapy! Nothin gets the blood pumpin better than pulling the red line through the gears. Oh!, I almost forgot. You guys with the 57's don't have a standard tach you can read (lest you got a "Sun" on the column), right?

Have a good evening Mike. Been fun talking "drive-in" talk with you.

Stu Fox

[Stewart A.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

Hey Rich I've been waiting to here from you. I thought you would of said your 62 fuely was the one. What about your 427 that must of got your pulse up at sometime. Those torque monsters !!!

[James G.]

Re: What motor and drivetrain combo is the best

Stu,
At the 1991 Anaheim NCRS National, Mike brought his 57 all the way from Maryland. We sponsored a day at the drags.......LA Dragway, about a 100 mile drive each way. And Mike was at the cooler 'LONG' before the other people. That car is quick.

He was old then and impressed us all how fast he could shift.