1980 c3 build

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Big block

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Picked up a 1980 L82 auto car, some retard put a 305 in it :ack: plans are big block 5speed, C6 vette wheels for now haha
 

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that 305 could be original to the car. the 1980 california only cars came with the 305. have you considered building a "big inch" small block 406/421/427/434 ? all the horsepower and torque of a big block but without the size and added weight.
 
It's 1 piece rear seal main block center bolt valve covers, but it is an American car, has an mph speedo, I have a 375 hp big block ready to go, I find any big inch small block cost more to build then a standard big block.
 
Got the boat anchor out, kinda scary after just painting it, another engine to add to my small block scrap pile, now to clean the engine bay up I guess.
 

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They are probably hard to come by but a '96 LT4 will make as much or more power than a lot of big blocks that are out there. There are getting to be a lot of nicely priced LS2 and LS3 engines out there too.
 
Well I just finished building a 496 for my mud truck so I have the old 454 from it 9:1 pistons 510 lift cam small port heads, might put a set of 781 big ovals that I have or get some aluminums, figure run it the way it is for now get the car set up then redo it later on if I want more from it, I'm a big block guy always will be :D the 6.0l I would do buy there still up there in price, and full length headers are not as affordable as bbc ones.
 
Man I love it, love the car, love the big block. Love the look of the 1980 - 1982 vettes. I would love to find a 1982 some day but I may have to get a divorce first !!!:rofl:
 
Have a edelbrock performer on it now, ya it's going to be tight, I'm milling off the choke on my holley carb and going to modify my drop base and hopefully clear the hood, later down the road I may get an l88 or a glasstek cowl hood.

Got everything cleaned up and dropped her in :D
 

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Big block said:
Have a edelbrock performer on it now, ya it's going to be tight, I'm milling off the choke on my holley carb and going to modify my drop base and hopefully clear the hood, later down the road I may get an l88 or a glasstek cowl hood.

Got everything cleaned up and dropped her in :D
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any c3 with a factory big block came with the big block hood, you may as well plan on a hood change right from the start. i once looked at a big block swap for my 76. by the time i priced out all the parts and pieces to do it, the cost was just too much, so i decided to go with a 406 small block instead. good luck with your project and keep us up to speed on the progress. :D
 
Hoping to have it on the road this summer so hopefully I can make the stock hood work, a little engineering is all it should take, undecided on what hood I'd like anyways.
 
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buckhorn76 said:
any c3 with a factory big block came with the big block hood, you may as well plan on a hood change right from the start. i once looked at a big block swap for my 76. by the time i priced out all the parts and pieces to do it, the cost was just too much, so i decided to go with a 406 small block instead. good luck with your project and keep us up to speed on the progress. :D
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I'm surprised it wouldn't fit under your stock hood Doug; the '74 came with a big block option.
 
Case75 said:
I'm surprised it wouldn't fit under your stock hood Doug; the '74 came with a big block option.
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pretty hard to find an oem manifold greg. the plenum is dropped down into the lifter valley on them and the carb pad is almost flush with the runners. the easiest but pricier route is a decent manifold and a higher hood.
 
buckhorn76 said:
pretty hard to find an oem manifold greg. the plenum is dropped down into the lifter valley on them and the carb pad is almost flush with the runners. the easiest but pricier route is a decent manifold and a higher hood.
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Ah, didn't know that.
 
The truck intakes are the same basically carb is no higher then the top of the runners, I have probably tossed three of them in the past few years, performace wise not very good though.
 
Nice job BB! I love the big blocks as well and you got a good one. Do the valve covers say 502? Would love one of those some day!
 

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