1980 c3 build

Been super busy but trying to get time in on the car, trans crossmember headers and Exhaust are done
 

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If he's happy with it let's us be happy too.:D

To my mind he gets kudos for even attempting a project like this. Let's not rain on his parade.
C.
 
what did I miss :rofl: been a busy summer with getting married and all my other projects but putting some thought back in the car again, getting this out of province inspection out of the way finally, oh and ill take my boat anchor big blocks over a small block any day :D
 
One of the sweetest engines I ever had built and I had a total of 4 them (not all for the same cars and I never hurt one of them) were 406CID small blocks, 400CID bored .030 over with 5.7 rods, hyd roller cam, AFR heads, Keith Black pistons, Weiand Stealth dual plane intake, Barry Grant Carb, Hooker Super Comp 1.75" headers attached to a Bullet proof 700R4 with 4:11 diff in my 1981 Vette, zero to 60MPH in under 3.9 seconds. I fell in love with the 406 when I started mud racing and had one with a solid .600 plus cam in a mud dragster that weighed around 1900 pounds. It accelerated harder and faster in mud then most cars did on pavement. 200 foot pit in under 3.6 seconds no juice or induction all natural. These things pull like a block all day long. In fact most people I took for a ride said it pulled harder than most big block cars they had ever been in. It walked circles around a another guy with a 78 Vette and his 502CID motor. Take it one step further and build a nice torquey 421CID. A lot more money, at least the 406 was a budget motor.
I sold the 81 last September after owning it 19 years and the new owner wrote the car off within 45 minutes of driving it away from my place. Some girl 5 blocks from his house darted out in front of him from a side street and he t-boned her.
 
One of the sweetest engines I ever had built and I had a total of 4 them (not all for the same cars and I never hurt one of them) were 406CID small blocks, 400CID bored .030 over with 5.7 rods, hyd roller cam, AFR heads, Keith Black pistons, Weiand Stealth dual plane intake, Barry Grant Carb, Hooker Super Comp 1.75" headers attached to a Bullet proof 700R4 with 4:11 diff in my 1981 Vette, zero to 60MPH in under 3.9 seconds. I fell in love with the 406 when I started mud racing and had one with a solid .600 plus cam in a mud dragster that weighed around 1900 pounds. It accelerated harder and faster in mud then most cars did on pavement. 200 foot pit in under 3.6 seconds no juice or induction all natural. These things pull like a block all day long. In fact most people I took for a ride said it pulled harder than most big block cars they had ever been in. It walked circles around a another guy with a 78 Vette and his 502CID motor. Take it one step further and build a nice torquey 421CID. A lot more money, at least the 406 was a budget motor.
I sold the 81 last September after owning it 19 years and the new owner wrote the car off within 45 minutes of driving it away from my place. Some girl 5 blocks from his house darted out in front of him from a side street and he t-boned her.


I had a 400 once in a truck of mine, had pretty good torque,

im currently pulling the 496 in my mud truck and putting an lbz duramax in it :D
 
Even though my 406CID only had about 450HP it had 496 foot pounds of torque. You could feel every pound of it with the tranny and rear gear combo. What a ride and I miss the feeling it gave you, but mostly the look on passengers faces when I nailed it. Punch in 3rd at 30MPH and it would drop into 2nd and it would chirp into 3rd at 5800RPM hitting 70MPH in a blink of an eye. My friend has an 03 Z06 with a 450CID LXS built motor putting down 620HP at the wheels and he was shocked when he went for a ride.
 
Even though my 406CID only had about 450HP it had 496 foot pounds of torque. You could feel every pound of it with the tranny and rear gear combo. What a ride and I miss the feeling it gave you, but mostly the look on passengers faces when I nailed it. Punch in 3rd at 30MPH and it would drop into 2nd and it would chirp into 3rd at 5800RPM hitting 70MPH in a blink of an eye. My friend has an 03 Z06 with a 450CID LXS built motor putting down 620HP at the wheels and he was shocked when he went for a ride.

:agree:
i have a 400-4 bolt block that i will be using to build a 406. i had planned on putting in my 76 shark but i don't think the rest of the driveline would stand up to it without extensive work. i think i'll use it in the racecar instead and swap it for the 355 that's in it now. no worries on that driveline - it's built to handle around 900 hp. :D the gm blocks are'nt all that strong, not like the dart shp, but if i don't go mental with the rpm and shift about 6500 it should live. only shift once anyway - powerglide trans.
 
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Buckhorn I used a 509 casting # block (the 509 blocks were suppose to be the strongest GM made more nickel content) from a truck with 2 bolts mains. I told the engine builder I want it to run 6,000 RPM all day long and I tortured that motor and never hurt it. I did grenade a rear diff, but after I replaced it with a diff from a 4 speed car as they have larger heavier u-joints, put in all heavy duty u-joints and no issue since. All your torque should be by 5200 RPM anyways.
 

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