Build me a C2

[Sea Six]

I'm thinking I might keep my '66.

I've sold a couple of cars, might have a buyer for a third. Currently my '66 has a 2004 ZZ4 GM crate motor with probably 15,000 miles on it. I'm thinking about beefing it up to give it a renewed interest on my part, especially since I've been looking at other classic cars and nothing is catching my interest. This is a really nice car and it might be better to just keep it and put a few $K in it than sell it and deal with getting something else.

I know next to nothing about engines or hot rodding cars. All advice needs to be painfully detailed and leave no gaps for me to fill in.

I'm going to redo the exhaust. Currently it has headers which I think I could probably keep. Everything else is a cobbled together mess and I want it gone. I'm thinking side pipes.

Gonna keep the ZZ4. What I want is a motor that has the kind of really loping idle that shakes the car all around and sounds incredibly nice and deep. Lets the neighbors know every time I start the car.

What types of side exhaust options are there out there? Do I need a new cam? What type? Other parts?

Currently has a 4bbl carb. Want to keep this setup.

Tranny is an M21 which I'd really rather not change out. It was rebuilt around the time the current engine was installed. I don't plan on power shifting at 8,000 rpm ever. If it grenades on me I'll just deal with it then.

Tires?

What else am I leaving out that needs consideration?



In a nutshell: if this were your car, and you had a budget of around $5,000 including all labor and parts, what specifically would you do?

[Kerrmudgeon]

Unfortunately you can't just do a couple of things and forget about the rest Clark. Especially if you want a lopey idle. Have you ever lived with a cam like that, or sidepipes? Trust me, you'll get pretty sick of both of them very fast.
You need to take into consideration what you want to do driving wise, and everything is related, trans, rear end ratio, everything.

Solid lifters, or juice. Roller set up, or flat tappet. Todays oil can turn a 10K$ build into junk in a few hundred miles if you don't know what you're doing.
Get to know an old school wrench head around you and do it together, but it ain't cheap anymore.
Your z24 is probably set up pretty good as is. You could go a little lumpier, but what rear end is in it? Sidepipes will scare the neighbors just by themselves!

[Sea Six]

Originally Posted by Kerrmudgeon

Unfortunately you can't just do a couple of things and forget about the rest Clark. Especially if you want a lopey idle. Have you ever lived with a cam like that, or sidepipes? Trust me, you'll get pretty sick of both of them very fast.
You need to take into consideration what you want to do driving wise, and everything is related, trans, rear end ratio, everything.

Solid lifters, or juice. Roller set up, or flat tappet. Todays oil can turn a 10K$ build into junk in a few hundred miles if you don't know what you're doing.
Get to know an old school wrench head around you and do it together, but it ain't cheap anymore.
Your z24 is probably set up pretty good as is. You could go a little lumpier, but what rear end is in it? Sidepipes will scare the neighbors just by themselves!

This isn't going to be a daily driver.

I don't know what rear end is on the car- I'll find out though.

I don't know what any of those things you suggested are, or what the different effects of each is. What would you do and why did you select what you did if it were your car?

The guy who works on my cars was listing off a whole list of items that he said would bring a Lopey idle and bring the hp from 350 currently up around 450, and he figured around $3,000 in parts. Cam and a bunch of other stuff. I didn't write any of it down.

I know I need to do several things, not just one or two... that's why I'm asking for options and explanations as to what each choice means!

Details, please.

[Sea Six]

Oh, by the way, I won't be doing any of the work myself.

Let's make that perfectly clear.



I want the end result, not the actual experience of doing it. Working on cars is not my thing.

Owning them and driving them is my thing.

[Kerrmudgeon]

First, find out the ratio in the rear end. Changing that is $$$ and if it's a highway gear there's no use doing radical changes to the motor unless you want to go highspeed racing. BTW 100 extra horses is going to cost a lot more than 3K i'm thinking.

do you have the specs on the current motor?

BTW sidepipes get tiresome, at least they did for me. Sitting in traffic sucking in fumes at idle isn't fun, and forget having a conversation or listening to the radio!

Do some research and find out some stuff.....

[Sea Six]

Originally Posted by Kerrmudgeon

First, find out the ratio in the rear end. Changing that is $$$ and if it's a highway gear there's no use doing radical changes to the motor unless you want to go highspeed racing. BTW 100 extra horses is going to cost a lot more than 3K i'm thinking.

do you have the specs on the current motor?

BTW sidepipes get tiresome, at least they did for me. Sitting in traffic sucking in fumes at idle isn't fun, and forget having a conversation or listening to the radio!

Do some research and find out some stuff.....

Ok... yes, I don't want to breathe exhaust... didn't think about that. And being able to converse inside the car is also important. Maybe sidepipes aren't for me.

[Kerrmudgeon]

Here's a nicely built 350, probably about 8K in parts alone.

Listen to the cam.....that's a Comp Cams Thumper which is designed to get the sound you want......Lumpy.

Small Block Chevy 350-Thumpr Cam - YouTube

[Sea Six]

Originally Posted by Kerrmudgeon

Here's a nicely built 350, probably about 8K in parts alone.

Listen to the cam.....that's a Comp Cams Thumper which is designed to get the sound you want......Lumpy.

Small Block Chevy 350-Thumpr Cam - YouTube

That is exactly what I had in mind.

[Sneaks]

A nice lopey cam, a good set of heads, and the right 4bbl set up can get you the extra 100 ponies you're looking for. I would have my mechanic contact Comp Cams and get some recommendations. That lope isn't going to do you any good if it isn't right for your set up. The more lope, "bigger cam", the more air and fuel you need to move through the heads. This means bigger chambers, larger valves, stronger springs, and a 4bbl large enough to move sufficient fuel to feed it.

[Kerrmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Sneaks

A nice lopey cam, a good set of heads, and the right 4bbl set up can get you the extra 100 ponies you're looking for. I would have my mechanic contact Comp Cams and get some recommendations. That lope isn't going to do you any good if it isn't right for your set up. The more lope, "bigger cam", the more air and fuel you need to move through the heads. This means bigger chambers, larger valves, stronger springs, and a 4bbl large enough to move sufficient fuel to feed it.

Edelbrock aluminum head complete are around 1200$ if I remember right. But you have to know the chamber size etc. Then a new Thumper roller setup is probably 500$, complete 2.5 inch under car pipes and mufflers around 400$ plus headers, 250$min........plus misc. stuff and LABOR! Yikes.

It doesn't take long to blow through a pile of green.

Oh ya....intake and carb....500$

[Steve Austin]

The ZZ4 already has a roller . A bigger roller cam will not be that much $$$. Just get one that will work with the current block. If you get some aftermarket heads plan on $2k. They need to match the cam and have small chambers like the ZZ4 heads to keep compression up.

[LATB]

Originally Posted by Sea Six

In a nutshell: if this were your car, and you had a budget of around $5,000 including all labor and parts, what specifically would you do?

I'd sell it for the 35K. Add the 5K. And go buy something for 40K.

[CertInsaneC5]

5K.
THE ONLY WAY that is going to happen is if you wrench on it yourself. Don't even waste your time with that budget.

[mrvette]

Just what EVER you do, no NOT do business with TPIS up in Chaska Minn. they sold me a POS cam that had an intermittent idle to it, it was called the ZZ9 cam to fit a ZZ4 engine, I have essentially a ZZ4 engine, with the rockers and rollers.....L98/ZZ4 heads, headers, H pipe exhaust and two MAGNAFLOW stainless muffs out back, obviously over the last 20 year my car has been worked over extensively, even the previous owners who did the body work/tail lights it was an old show car.....
obviously being an old ET for the last 60 years, I have DPFI in it, did it myself.....obviously I think you can see the interior off one of the sites, and you see what I mean....ME, I"d ditch that carb so fast and put on an L98 system for like 350 bux....pick one up at the vette show this coming weekend.....

total install, maybe a grand, if that these daze....

I not a fan of lumpy cams and all that shake/rattle/rolling......nore side exhausts as your lady friends WILL ATTEST.....

[RonC5]

ZZ4 is a great motor, you would really not need to do anything. It probably would have a mild lope that would come out with side pipes. You can ad the factory pipes, around 1900 at Corvette Central. C2 Corvette Side Exhaust

Hedman makes headers to fit the factory sides, $200
Hedman Husler 68280 Header Corvette SB 63 82 Side Exh | eBay

The other option is the header/sidepipe combo. Prices vary

Hooker Headers Super Competition Sidemount Headers and Accessories - Free Shipping on All Orders @ JEGS

You may also change the rear filler panel to block off the stock exhaust holes.

[DAB]

Originally Posted by LATB

I'd sell it for the 35K. Add the 5K. And go buy something for 40K.

[Kerrmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Steve Austin

The ZZ4 already has a roller . A bigger roller cam will not be that much $$$. Just get one that will work with the current block. If you get some aftermarket heads plan on $2k. They need to match the cam and have small chambers like the ZZ4 heads to keep compression up.

Summit Racing has Edelbrock aluminum heads loaded for around 800$. Add some roller rockers, and pushrods to that. So I was close at 1200$ Big block stuff is way more expensive.

I think I would go for a Thumper cam, carb and intake, save the headers, new under car exhausts. ZZ4 heads should breathe pretty good. A lot less than 5K.
It won't be another 100 horse, but you'd feel a big difference for sure.
BUT it all depends on the ratio in the back..........

[CertInsaneC5]

Originally Posted by Kerrmudgeon

Summit Racing has Edelbrock aluminum heads loaded for around 800$. Add some roller rockers, and pushrods to that. So I was close at 1200$ Big block stuff is way more expensive.

I think I would go for a Thumper cam, carb and intake, save the headers, new under car exhausts. ZZ4 heads should breathe pretty good. A lot less than 5K.
It won't be another 100 horse, but you'd feel a big difference for sure.
BUT it all depends on the ratio in the back..........

It only would be 5k or less if he was doing at least some of the work himself. No way in hell is that going to happen if someone else does it. Unless he is getting a /favor job.

[OddBall]

First, you'd have to change your handle to Sea Two

or C2
or See Too
or Si Dos
...perhaps C-cup...

[lspencer534]

Clark, I'm afraid with you plan and a cap of $5K will just leave you with a different cobbled up mess. Your money cap will perhaps take you only 40% of the way there.

Specifically, if I were to do side pipes, use the original kind. They give the perfect look to the car, and it's not completely true than you can't have a conversation or listen to the radio with them. You do get used to them; besides you can simply roll up the windows until you get used to the sound. I have never smelled exhaust with mine. Just remember that you have to cut your body to install them.

Kerrmudgeon is right about the nuisance of a lopey engine: It turns a good-driving car into a hard to handle beast. I agree that your current engine shouldn't be changed. My guess is that you make only $5K worth of changes you might increase HP by 50. That's just not worth it. And I wouldn't put 2X or 3X that into the car since you'll never get that money back.