Coolest vehicle you've seen today
Senior Member
Joined: 11-19-2010
Posts: 620
From: Springfield, Oregon
Deceased
Joined: 06-30-2010
Posts: 25,739
From: Kannapolis NC
My car has the L-36 Mark IV 427 which is rated at 385hp through a single four barrel carb. The '67 Vette offered the L-36 as its entry level 427, followed by the L-68 427 with triple 2 barrel carbs and 400 rated hp. Then you could get the L-71 which was the L-68 with solid lifters and 435 rated hp, and last but not least by any means, the Holy Grail of Vette engines....the L-88 full race aluminum headed 427 rated at 430hp(actually far north of 550hp). The L-88 was installed in only twenty documented Vettes making it them the most expensive Corvettes today.
Of course all of the Mark IV 427's are underrated in horsepower because the insurance companies hated big block cars back then. My 427 puts out a corrected 414hp on a chassis dyno, and when you punch it from a dead stop your head tends to end up on the trunk lid. As far as differences between the installations in the Vette versus the SS 427's, you got a freer flowing exhaust in the big cars due to a larger engine bay, but once you factor in the half ton weight penalty...the Vette's always had the edge.
Of course all of the Mark IV 427's are underrated in horsepower because the insurance companies hated big block cars back then. My 427 puts out a corrected 414hp on a chassis dyno, and when you punch it from a dead stop your head tends to end up on the trunk lid. As far as differences between the installations in the Vette versus the SS 427's, you got a freer flowing exhaust in the big cars due to a larger engine bay, but once you factor in the half ton weight penalty...the Vette's always had the edge.
Deceased
Joined: 06-30-2010
Posts: 25,739
From: Kannapolis NC
Coker Tire has 'em, they aren't cheap, but with anything else it wouldn't look right. I might get docked a few points at the car shows because they are radials rather than bias belted, but bias tires would make it a handful. We are spoiled by our tires these days, even the universally hated Affinitys fitted from the factory on the HHR's are miles ahead of tires from back in the day. No other way to say it, but tires back then sucked.
