any performance tips for a 350 for a C3 ??

[mick]

Hey All,
            I 'm getting my engine rebuilt for my 72 original C3. The engine a is stock 350, can anyone offer any performance mods for ie:- cam etc etc or mabye a website with information I can read up on. I know there are a million mods for a 350 but I was hoping to hear from someone with a vette who has done it themselves who can offer some tips from there own experiences.


thanks

Mick

[Brutus]

Mick...Changing your cam will certainly give you many and varied performance changes to your motor, but without going to better heads and exhaust, you're wasting you time. The quickest and least expensive "preformance" modification you can perform is to change your rear gearing to a lower (higher numerical) number. I went from 3.08s to 3.7s.
Have a look at this site for some interesting engine combinations. There'll be something in here to give you a thrill or two. http://ryanscarpage.50megs.com/combos1.html

[77CVT]

Here is a thread on my old '77 Look here

If you are going stock bottom end, change the cam (no more than 220 deg @ 0.050), Performer manifold (port matched), dual exhaust with H or X pipe, free flow mufflers, you will then have a 14 sec, 240 kph C3!  You can use the stock 882 heads but ifyou can pick up a set of GOOD alloys for $1000 that would be better.  Either way you need to do some porting and valve unshrouding to scare yourself over 100mph!  :evil

We need to know what transmission and diff you have.

I had a comp cams XE256 and was a little disappointed.  Their cams seem to drop off after 4500rpm.  Still a big improvement though.

[mick]

Thanks for the info guys,
                                        The car is a four speed and I am organising some Hooker side pipe's for it at the moment but this feedback is great for when i talk to the engine rebuilder. The car is also getting a body off full respray I havent decided on a colour yet but i am leaning towards the original targa blue. I will be very keen to jion the club then and go on some runs in probably 12 months or so i guess.

Mick

[George80ONE]

Hi Mick,
Just a bit of advice.
All this information you have got is from people who are members of a club. That is how we get most of our knowledge. My advice is to join a club now and gather all the information while you are doing the work. The enthusiasm of Corvetters is boundless. Go on a few runs with the club. Meet the members, pick their brains and you will be able to check out their cars while you are at it. Everyone loves to show off their car and what they have done to it. You will get many ideas to help you along the way and strike up some great friendships.  
George.;27

[77CVT]

With a manual you can go more duration.  It depends on how you want it to idle.  If you have 3.55 diff gears it will also help if you go more duration.  You need to decide if you want a cruiser with a bit of grunt of something that will stretch its legs.  A wider lobe seperation will help idle too.

The main thing is make it breathe!

[big holty]

Hi people,
I am very close to buying a '79 vette at the moment, and I too have been thinking about what performance mods could be done on a 350 chev, but also what the downstream effects might be.  I think the car I am looking at has a three-speed auto box - how do these go?  Is there another auto box that is a better option for use behind a warmed-up engine (Turbo 700 perhaps)?  And how do the diffs hold up?  Does anyone run a 9" diff?
Cheers.;29

[Nik]

1) extractors
2) heads
3) cam
4) carb

imho would be the best order to do the mods.

Make sure ure breaks are perfect first though ;mmm