Engines

[Ken G.]

I'm currently in the market for a 69-70 convertible and have found and narrowed it down to 3 possible cars each with a different engine option otherwise all other options for the car are equal. I'm trying to get an opinion on what is truly the most desirable engine. the cars are a '69 427/435 4 speed ,'70 LT1 4 speed and '70 454/390 4 speed. They are all #s matching cars. Any collector opinions appreciated.
Ken

[Roy V.]

Re: Engines

I'm not a collector, I just have 1 corvette.
Of the 3 engine choices you mentioned, I would think the 1969 427/435 would be the most desirable.
I see this is your first post, Welcome to the TDB
Regards
Roy

[Keith B.]

Re: Engines

Tri power Corvettes will always bring a premium over the other wise same equipped car from 67-69.

It would also depend if you want a fun driving car or a beast For all out fun any BB will give you that. But for a nice driving well mannered the LT-1 is a better choice

[Michael J.]

Re: Engines

My first Corvette was a '70 LT1 roadster. Later I got big blocks, and enjoyed them. But, IMO, the LT1 being a SB and all the extra room to work, as well as the reliability issues vis a vis the BB, I would go with the LT1. But, obviously, if you want to keep value and collect ability to the max, the L71 is hard to beat.

[Dennis O.]

Re: Engines

The bigger the block, the more time and effort they will expend on fooling you. Just sayin'.

[Paul H.]

Re: Engines

69 427/435 4 speed will be the most collectible in my opinion. The LT-1 is a great motor but a tri power 69 big block will put a smile on your face when you drive it and when you look at it's future value.

[Lyndon S.]

Re: Engines

I would go for the Big block any day over a small block car even a LT-1

[William C.]

Re: Engines

The real question is what is your intention for the car? The best driver my not have the greatest appreciation so there is no perfect answer. Bigblocks are not generally great drivers in hot weather, at least in my experiance nor are they easy to work on with A/C. The smallblock is reliable, easier to work on if needed, and puts much less heat into the passenger compartment on a hot summer day, but our choice...

[Paul J.]

Re: Engines

All of these cars will appreciate in value if well maintained, so they're all pretty desirable. The 69 would be the most desirable in the market today, and would normally appreciate more, but it would cost more to buy and a hellofalot more to maintain (as far as time and effort, anyway) so the percentage of appreciation may not be any greater than the others.

Bill and Keith asked the right question, what are you going to do with the car? If you decide what your intentions are and spend a little time driving each of these cars, your decision might become a little easier. The only thing that I can say is that no choice would be wrong. All of these are great cars.

Paul

[Duke W.]

Re: Engines

What Clup said, plus you will have to deal with three leak-prone Holley carbs on the 435 HP... only one with the LT-1, but the 390 HP has just one reliable Quadrajet. The two mechanical lifter engines also have the prone-to-sudden-failure and expensive-to repair-transistor ignition system. The hydraulic lifter 390 HP provides the greatest low end torque and power and the lowest highway cruise revs, which you will appreciate in normal driving. Most also have a simple single point distributor unless TI was specifically ordered. It was optional on the 454/390, but required on the other two engine options.

Picking the "best engine" is ALWAYS going to be a matter of your budget, how you plan to use the car, and your long term objectives. Initial outlay? Reliability? Maintenance and repair cost expectation? Appreciation potential... etc?

So it comes down to a matter of personal choice once you understand the above.

IMO a base engine is best for how most of use us our vintage Corvettes, and it has plenty of potential for greater top end power and revs without affecting the smooth low-rev idle, normal operating characteristics, or fuel economy.

Duke

[Michael J.]

Re: Engines

Ah, but the sweet music of a solid lifter engine is magic, and impossible to top, IMO.

[Duke W.]

Re: Engines

If the valves are properly adjusted it should be tough to tell whether the engine has mechanical or hydraulic lifters. (Idle behavior is another story.) Noisy lifters are a sign that clearances are too loose and the valvetrain is being shock loaded with every cycle as the valves are jerked off the seat and slammed back down at greater than clearance ramp velocity.

The one exception is the Duntov cam. Because peak jerk is achieved only a few thousanths above the tops of the clearnace ramps, it will exhibit more valve train noise even if the clearances are properly adjusted.

Duke

[Michael J.]

Re: Engines

True, my L71 does sound different than my L76. But the idle lope is more what I was thinking about too, along with the soft ticking sounds.

[Ken G.]

Re: Engines

I appreciate the input from everyone . I currently drive my '66 327/350 4 speed coupe on a regular basis and enjoy working on it also. I agree that there is no bad choice here, I'm leaning toward the 427 . Ultimately will depend on the negotiations (and my wife)!!
Thanks , its great to be an NCRS member
Ken

[Duke W.]

Re: Engines

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention "wife" as one of the criterion, which usually has a significant affect on the initial outlay budget.

Duke