American Mid Year Society "AMYS"

   Purchased in 1967 for $3995, with 8000 miles on it, the car was already on its second engine! This car was my daily driver for many years, wearing out the 425hp/427 cubic inch replacement engine. One day I went to the Service Center in Paramount and saw a L88 short block on the floor. The asking price was $700, so I bought it and had them install it. This engine had 12.5 compression and the pistons rattled brand new because of clearances. Because of driving the car every day, the engine only lasted 30,000 miles before it needed rings. Today I could kick myself, but I traded the engine to my friend Chuck for a complete 350 installed. I drove the car another 25 years with this setup but not as much as I used to.

  When I bought my house the car stayed in the garage most of the time, and every time I went to drive it the brakes had to be bled. In September 1999, I took it to my friend Chuck to get the brakes redone. When I went to pick the car up upon completion my friend Chuck showed me the GM performance catalog. The ZZ502 crate motor really got me excited, so I went home and asked my wife, “Mommy, can I get a new engine for my Corvette?” She said only if I fixed the whole car up. (Bless her heart).

  Well 10 long years later and here it is, finally all prettied up! The engine has ported and port matched heads shaved ten thousands with roller rockers and Isky valve springs breathing through 2⅛ inch headers with 3½ inch collectors. A Comp cams XR300 hydraulic steel billet roller with 248/254 duration and 560/580 lift runs the valve train fed by an 850 demon carburetor. Run on the engine dyno it put out 580 hp, 580 ft lb torque with the stock cam. After Comp cam installation it put out 480 hp, 532 ft lb torque to the rear wheels; a 20% error correction for the chassis dyno gives 600 hp, 665 ft lb torque at the crank. The engine is bolted up to a NHRA approved steel scatter shield housing a Mcleod dual disc clutch connected to a M22 (Rock Crusher) 4 speed pumping into a 12 bolt 4.11 positraction, 1480 axle kit, offset trailing arms, high performance rear spring, and rear camber control rods, all from Tom’s differentials.

  I took the car out to Fontana drag strip 3-11-2011, ran out of RPM at the end of the strip but still backed up my license plate! Comp Beehive valve springs are next, supposed to give me another 500 RPM.

3-11-2011  Elapsed Time      Speed

11:13 AM      11.918             117.95

11:34 AM      11.741             118.23

11:48 AM      11.862             118.56

12:34 PM      11.838             118.56

12:42 PM      11.920             119.53