New to Corvette ownership

[Willard M.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Welcome to the Board. It's always great to see another from Maine. I agree with many of the other comments that you should be able to get your 340 to run fine with fuel that's available here in Maine. If you send me a PM I would be glad to share my thoughts about resources here as well as in the New England area. I have had several high compression engines including 340's and 409/409's. My FI cars have been more of a challenge but they too are resolvable. Finally I would urge to to have fun with your car and to do what makes sense to you.

[John F.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Welcome aboard! All kinds of 93 octane here in Texas. Oh yea we make it here. Great guys/gals on this forum and everybody is willing to help. Rule number 1, buy an Assembly Manual & a Judging Guide. Red 62's rock!

John

[Gary C.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

David, welcome to NCRS and to the TDB. Great guys and gals in NCRS with alot of knowledge sharing on this TDB. There are alot of great threads about oil to use with flat tappet - solid lifter cams by Duke Williams, which your car has. Basically, the new oils don't have enough zinc in them and diesel oil is recommended. Do a search and you'll find the great research by Duke on this subject. Glad to have you aboard and good luck with your '62. Gary....

[David H.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Sorry about the mistake with the picture. That is what I want it to look like when I'm done with it. I reposted the now pictures. Added the engine plant machine code stamp picture. I have the air cleaner and two of the three heat shields also. It has an alternator on it that I will change back to generator and the original radiator and overflow tank too. As far as the octane rating of most gas in Maine it ranges from 87-89-91 usually. I am told that Sunoco and maybe Shell have 92-93 in the summer. I dont know about that as we have neither stations close to me, but I will find one and check into it.

[Steven B.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

[quote=David Hurd (51036);451623]Hello all,


The problem with that is I have discovered this engine will not run properly on low octane ethonal fuel from the pump. It needs high octane (104) fuel that I will have to buy in a barrel at about $9/gallon!

David, as others have said your engine does not require 104 and will run fine on 92-93 octane. I have an engine with a 0.25 higher comp. than yours and it runs great on '92-'93.

I would check with members in the NE and get referrals for engine builders in the area as the fellow you spoke with has questionable advice. Take your time selecting the right engine builder as the parts are original to the car only once. Members of this board have literally hundreds of years (total) experience and have built and rebuilt every Corvette engine made. Also, some of the very best Corvette restoration shops are members. A great group always willing to help.

Welcome!

Steve

[Tracy C.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

David,

Welcome to this gathering and hopefully you will take the advice from the others who have posted. Your engine will run fine built to original specs with quality pump gas.

Before you let your engine guy touch a thing however, make him sign an agreement that he (or any of his subcontractors) will NOT deck the cylinder case. This is another misconception with most engine builders. If the block is decked, your original VIN and Assy date stampings will be reduced to a pile of iron shavings thereby reducing the value of the car by a substantial amount. If he insists that the block needs to be decked because of the blown head gaskets, etc. Just walk away and find the "second best" engine builder in your area.

good luck,
tc

[Valeria H.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

David,
Welcome to the NCRS! I am going to throw my two cents in about gas. Ethanol is not really good to old engines, gaskets etc for longevity. If you can obtain some avgas 100LL from a small airport in Maine your car will thank you for it. Do you know anyone who owns their own plane?

The current price here in NC is $4.64/gallon as I just bought 30 gallons yesterday. Yes, your car will run just fine on Shell premium (only 5% ethanol) but I'd like to think my 60 will out live me and I will not put ethanol in my car. Check the archives for discussions on avgas.
Valeria

[Michael W.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

David,
Ethanol is not really good to old engines, gaskets etc for longevity.

This does not apply to engines that have had modern style fuel system gaskets and tubing installed. These have been available for at least ten years or more. Let's not exaggerate the 'ethanol is the devil' myth.

[Jack P.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Hello all,

Wanted to introduce myself and tell you my story, then ask some advice.
My name is Dave Hurd and I live in Maine. I have restored classic cars in the past but had taken a hiatis for 20 years or so until 2 years ago. I came across a '59 Pontiac Star Chief that I just couldn't pass on and have restored it to a nice driver.
About a year and a half ago my brother Peter passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in Dallas. He was the proud owner of a 1962 Corvette that he treasured. He and I had talked about restoration of the car "someday". I travelled to Dallas this summer and was lucky enough to convice my sister-in-law that the Vette needed to stay in the family and that I would restore it and get it back on the road in Peter's memory. I had it shipped home and have started restoration on it.
The delema that I face is larger than I had first thought but I am determined to bring the car back to life and as close to orginal as I can.
I discovered that the engine, which is a 327 340hp 4bbl car, has blown head gaskets. As it has been sitting unused in storage for quite some time, my inclination is to pull the motor and rebuild it to orginal specs. The problem with that is I have discovered this engine will not run properly on low octane ethonal fuel from the pump. It needs high octane (104) fuel that I will have to buy in a barrel at about $9/gallon!
So here are the options that I think I have.
1. Rebuild it to specs and use high octane fuel and pay the price, but dont drive it much.
2. Find a 327 block and have a motor built for it and save the old engine for if I ever sell the car. (which I wont do unless I absolutely have to)
3. Use a 1976 350 v8 my other brother has already rebuilt and try to make it look like a 327 engine. (or not)
This car is in very good condition otherwise. Minor mechanical repairs are necessary but nothing major is involved. Interior is very good, paint is good, both tops are good.
Any thoughts and ideas would be helpful as I am really on the fence here. I want to keep the car as original as I can but I will want to drive it more than once or twice a year too.
Thanks in advance for any and all input.
I will attempt to attach pictures of the car.

David , Hi

I live in Cape Elizabeth, Give me a call , I will PM with my phone number, I have a 66 Roadster that just had it's motor rebuilt. I can give you some tips on making it run, or get you in touch with some local people who can. We can look at the timing issues.

Click on my profile and it will list some of my threads.

Jack

[Patrick N.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Hi David, welcome!
I recently had my 68 427 rebuilt which had soft Valve seats for leaded gas setup back in the day. Lead was octane enricher + lubricant, so softer seats were OK. I changed the valve seats in my engine to a more wear resistent seat, allowing me to run 92 -93 octane from the pump. You can set up the seats to run at various octanes. Some say 92 will be obsolete at the pump in a few years and lower ratings will be the way to go-but that is rumor.

Correct me if I'm wrong you 62'ers, and true engine builders but changeing the valve seats would solve the problem.

Best of luck-have some fun!!

Pat
68 427 / 400
88

[Jerry W.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Thanks for the updated engine pics.......If it's there....Is it stock?.....If it's not there....How do i know?....not bad...not bad.

Engine compartment ....(not being negative)...but here are some of my observations to get you started in the right direction.

temp sender and lead wire and clips not shown.
washer jug and hoses....that's a good thing.
radiator looks stock...shroud doesn't
fuel filter and line not stock
water pump correct configuration but looks like replacement..not painted
alternator not correct but mtg brkt looks ok
hose clamps not stock
carb linkage and return spring mtg brkt not right...not sure about carb.
blackout paint under hood good
orange paint between intake and valve cover is suspect fo previous rebuild
distributor looks good
oil fill cap not stock

Dave....you have a PM email

[Michael W.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Correct me if I'm wrong you 62'ers, and true engine builders but changeing the valve seats would solve the problem.

This is another unfounded 'legend'- not required at all on street driven Corvettes.

[Stewart A.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

If you find the highest pump gas you can get and still knocks you can always knock a bit of timing out of the motor. Start at 36 and work your way back half a degree at a time you will beat it eventually. I have a proper 10.5 to 1 and 91 is terrible at 36 deg. I use 8000 Mobil which I think is 98 oct which allows me a full 36 degrees with no rattling. All the other fuels I use it starts to rattle at 36 degrees. It's something you will have to try when you get it up and running. Stewy

[Joe R.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

David,

I would suggest managing the actual compression ratio to prevent detonation with the fuel that is available locally. Here's a pretty good thread on this topic, with a big block bent:

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthread.php?t=65591&highlight=john+mcrae&uid=4366

The thread above gives Duke Williams' recommended max CR for BB's. He has also given a rec. on small block max CR in other threads. You should be able to find it in the archives.

Joe

[Duke W.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Use feeler gages to measure head gasket thickness at the corners of the head-block interface. Sometime during 1962 Chevrolet started "double gasketing" SHP/FI engines to address customer detonation complaints. If your engine is original, the thickness should measure either .018" or about .036".

So, what is it?

As-built typical CRs were about 0.5 below GM's advertised values.

I recommend the LT-1 cam for all 327 SHP/FI rebuilts. It has a later closing inlet valve than the Duntov cam, so it reduces DCR, which reduces the tendency to detonate. After typical chamber relieving with about a .026" gasket the CRs usually come in within the range of 10.3-10.5 with the OE replacment pistons.

These engines run detonation free on 91-93 PON unleaded premiums, but some ignition map tuning may be required to keep the engine out of detonation. The OE maps on 340 and 350 HP engines, which are slow, are usually okay and can often be made more aggressive, however, the 365/375 HP map may have to be toned down a bit.

Restoration of these engines, including performance enhancements without affecting appearance, typical idle quality and normal operating characteristics have been discussed extensively in the archives.

Search "327 LT-1".

Duke