LS What? - 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited June 2015 in Chevrolet
imageLS What? - 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds conducts a long-term test of a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and ponders the need to swap its original engine for a modern LS-based one.

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  • ebeaudoinebeaudoin Member Posts: 509
    Can you please put it on a dyno?? Curious to see what she cranks out after all those years.
  • cjasiscjasis Member Posts: 274
    I, for one, am glad you're not doing an engine swap. I do echo ebeaudoin's request above... dyno this bad boy. It would be neat to learn what she's making.
  • kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    Yes Dyno and start putting odometer readings (that's fixed now, right) so we can see how many miles get put on. My guess is that you won't be taking it on 500 mile lunch trips anytime soon.
  • hacefriohacefrio Member Posts: 29
    kirkhilles1 said:

    My guess is that you won't be taking it on 500 mile lunch trips anytime soon.

    Ye of little faith, kirkhilles!
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    edited June 2015
    No, I would not consider swapping anything. Interesting that you feel carburetion is fine...I think Scott Oldham considered it was running a bit rich.

    Dyno it. Just remember there's no fuel cutoff and if you overrev it, you WILL be doing some expensive work on your numbers-matching engine. In this mild state of tune, the power peak will be all over and done with by around 5000, with the redline at 5500.

    You folks stated in the initial post that the 300-hp engine was base; this is not so - the base 327 was 250 hp.

    I think the one thing other than radial tires I would do to this car, due to 1) they are notable overheaters, 2) you are in Southern California with summer coming up, 3) car has A/C, which loads the engine when idling in traffic (SoCal, again), is get rid of that engine-mounted fan and mount a pair of Hayden thermostatically-controlled electric fans on the radiator. One of the most common mods for older cars that will be driven on the road.
  • dldavedldave Member Posts: 46
    If I had a classic car, I'd prefer to leave most of it untouched, except for maybe safety things like brakes. Other than that, I'd let it be.
  • anotherdrunkanotherdrunk Guest Posts: 30
    just because some bro knucklehead thinks something

    doesnt mean its right
  • bucho65bucho65 Member Posts: 11
    Nice to hear someone else comment about the throttles on DBW cars. I get use to them until I drive a car with a throttle cable and think "oh this is much nicer".
  • bankerdannybankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021
    Any one that suggests an LS swap into this generation of 'Vette is a fool. Sure, drop an LS into a '68 or later Stingray (unless of course it was a factory 427 or 454), but you only lower the value of a C2 with a modern engine swap.
  • bc1960bc1960 Member Posts: 171
    No, the 250hp 327 was dropped after 1965, along with the fuel-injected 327. The 300hp is of course gross, not net, although it may also have been underrated a bit as the 427 was.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    edited June 2015
    bc1960 said:

    No, the 250hp 327 was dropped after 1965, along with the fuel-injected 327. The 300hp is of course gross, not net, although it may also have been underrated a bit as the 427 was.

    True. This is a '66.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    The engine looks so simple compared to the current version. http://cdn2.automoblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2015-Chevy-Corvette-Stingray-Convertible-2.jpg
    If you could take a new 2015 Stingray back in time I wonder what the engineers back in 1966 would say.
  • jpk112jpk112 Member Posts: 12
    Keep it stock but please dyno it!
  • brenrobrenro Member Posts: 38
    "You folks stated in the initial post that the 300-hp engine was base; this is not so - the base 327 was 250 hp." Pretty sure the base 250 hp engine went away in '65.
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