What to do with 79 Corvette... Winter project

I'm not sure how to start this to you guys. I have a winter project on hand and I will be getting into racing next season very heavily. I have for me to tweak a 1979 Corvette L-48 Auto 38k miles. It's in pretty damn good shape for the year.
Some history: The car was stored for 22 years in a barn in jersey. Sports director for Rutgers University wasn't interested in keeping it. So he put it on ebay. The car was a 1979 Light Sky Blue with 37k miles on it. The way it had been stored i was surprised. What this guy did was filled the entire motor with oil, took out every spark plug and filled the cylinders with oil, and put it on blocks under cover. The guy also had a whole new power steering system (600$~), whole new OE calipers and bent brakes lines (400$~+), and about 1000$ in just random parts. (Carpet, roof pannels, brake master cylinder, ect...) The car rolled out of the barn with us pushing it minding you it hasnt moved in 22 years. So you ask how much we got it for??? Put it on the trailer and talked shit with the guy and we walked away with this car for $1,500$ USD. lol :icon16: :iceslolan :cwm27:
I think we got a deal...
Anywho I want to make this a mild street/strip/low speed auto-x car.

Engine options: I currently have 2 350 blocks from a 86 corvette and obveously the one motor that is in the 79 corvette now. One of the 86 blocks i know for sure had a blown headgasket. We used all the parts off that one to complete the other car. We have the oil pan to the pistons. I think i want to use this one because i want an EFI motor in this car due to sound and smooth idle. Also want the motor from a newer car because i know how it performs vs. the carb ran motor. i had my 87 corvette. I know i would have to get a complete wireing harness from a newer car, no biggie. in this car due to sound and smooth idle. So question is do i want to complete the other motor and drop it in? I know there is work involved but i have moto-vation beccause i miss my 87 vette and i have this 79 body to work with.

Transmission: I drive stick. I love it. But was wondering if a 700R4 would be better for autox and drag? Does it really all come down to personal pref? I shift DAMN good in my car. Whether its the vette/talon/gsx/lancer OZ. Let me know on this on... And if i do go manual do i want the 6 speed (from 1991 vette), 4 speed (from 78 parts car), 4 speed (4+3) (from 87ish that auto shifts into over drive when your done shifting to 4th gear manually)... yea...

Now if i go with the newer set up i want to put the digital dash that comes with the new set up. With this i would have to custom a dash out of fiberglas i believe. Is it hard? fuck i know its itchy! :rofl: i would want this to be custom to know that i did it so i can be like yea thats my work... anyway. lol

There is body work to do! but i will be doing it myself. Nothing big just hate the itchy part. Its origional paint. I'll get some pix sometime.

So guys you are the only auto people i turn to really lol. Give me some input cause i really want this to happen. :evillol::naughty:


BY THE WAY NO 4G63T SWAPS! DEFF NO!


the only pic i have of the car lol

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/crazydriver7686/afd.jpg

The 700r4 is one of the best trannys they made for the GM platform. I have it in my Firebird and it takes hell from me all the time. You should mate up an LS1 to a 700r4 and drop it in there and turbocharge it... I'm not even kidding... You will have mad power if you turbocharge an LS1 and the nice part is you'll have plenty of room to run your piping on that 79...

You should have gave it to me too while I was there. lol

LS1 lol

I would love to do an LS1 swap... show me the money! haha NOOOO TURBO! SORRY! i have those 2 350 blocks and they are L-98's. Its going to have headers out the back to turbo mufflers.

Didn't the 79 motor put out more power than the 86?

I know for a couple years the corvette was the slowness.



Maybe you can't afford an LS1 but how about a built LT1?

Mike, why the fuck would you autoX that heavy ass shitty handling boat? Now, dont get me wrong, not knocking the V8 thing, but for autoX that is not your vehicle. How much you playing with man? I second the 700R4 tranny, and I would probably mate it to one of those 350's. I would definately build it though. I would also say go small block, not a big fan of those monsterous big blocks. What about a little S/C action and/or some nitrous?

problem is its the only car i ahve to work wwith so i have to do the best with it i can, im not goin to auto x for career i just want something i can take to the track... so i think this goes as plan: build the l98 motor with pistons and rods, bearings, get sensors and complete wireing harness out of a wrecked car. install new motor with 6 speed tranny, custom interrior by fiberglass. i need to learn how to do that, my uncle is a "fiberglass engineer" haha he crashed my jet ski and in a day he had it and you couldnt tell he put a giant hole in it... lol and paint color? anything but red.. i think im goin to go witha dark charchol metalic... MORE INPUT!

how about dropping a L88 in there. I've seen L88 stingrays running 10.8s. Otherwise for autox you should build a 396 for it

I dont know why, but I've always wanted a 383. Correct me if I am wrong, but thats just a stroked out 350 right?

Reguardless, some 11.5:1 or 12:1 pistons, shaved heads, some wicked cam, some good headers/exhaust, a bit of weight reduction, 4 barrel carb, and a big ole shot of nitrous is probably what I would do. Dont forget the Ford 9" rear end, I have head a few pretty shitty things about most of the Chevy rear ends.

I second the anti-red. Thats completely unoriginal. I am a fan of silver, black, and really dark blue so I would do either of those.

383 is a stroked and bored 350 but if you go a little further you have yourself a 396. I'm not a big fan of anything over 10.5:1 because then you need to run race fuel or at least 93 to avoid knock unless your running an LT1. What rear does it have now? If its a 10 bolt I'd ditch it for a 12 bolt probably, I think its a little easier to swap than a 9" and just as strong. The 10 bolts have held up in the 10 second range though so it would probably be the last thing I do

Thought i'd give you and update... just got the approval for what were going to beable to accomplish on this project for this winter for my summer auto x/cruiser

-ZZ4 swap w/headers and staight out the back to "turbo" mufflers ( dont ask they were on my other corvette)
-Not sure on the carb i'm going to run on it
-Swaping from the automatic to the 4 speed shouldn't be too hard to do. thank god its not a hydraulic clutch system sp*
-not to sure on the paint but thats getting done.
-Redo interrior with after market matching tack, speedo, temp, oil pressure ect.
-cd player
-anything else i can find broken on the car to fix...

I will get pix when i get out of school and start making money.. prolly just post them in here when i get a big chunk of it done! prolly should post this in the project section lol

sounds good. Good luck

ZZ4? Whats that?

crate motor from GM that you can get for 3500$ with warrenty and if you find it on ebay its ~$2,000

The zz4 should be a damn good motor to throw in that thing.

Whats the displacement? What did it come in? Whats the power it should put out?

its a 350 with 355hp and 405 ft lbs. Aluminum heads with hydraulic roller valve train

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?p=1558436387&posted=1#post1558436387

Just thought i'd let you guys know this project is now underway... nothing too big for this kid... school and $$ aare tight...

drop a hemi in it, j/k

Fix up one of them 86 blocks, drop a big lift cam + heads + 150shot and go racing ;)

i just purchased a felpro gasket kit and now im looking for a carburator rebuild kit. the car is running stock so it has a quadrajet i believe to be 600 CFM where would i get a carb rebuild kit?