C3: 460hp Vette?

[Rob M.]

This ad claims the 1970? vette was also available in a 460hp version but I can't find the corresponding option in the black book. Was there ever a 460hp chrome bumper C3 released?

greetings,
Rob.

[Joe C.]

Re: C3: 460hp Vette?

Rob,

I believe that there was a "stillborn" LS7 engine in the works. I'm sure that others will have plenty more to add.

Joe

[Joe C.]

More.....

Here is more information on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Big-Block_engine

[Dick W.]

Re: More.....

The LS-7 was a planed option. Aluminum heads, intake, Holley carb, solid lifter, high compression 454. The LS-6, offered in 1971, is a slightly detuned version, with a lower compression ratio. Basically a open chamber L/88 with 454 cubes.

We built one from parts in 1970. An absolute bear!! From about 3,500 rpm's to 6,500 had you planted in the seat, even in 4th gear.

[Terry M.]

Re: C3: 460hp Vette?

Rob,
There were plans to produce a variety of engines for the 1970 Corvette -- basically the same line-up as in 1969. The 1970 AIM that is available to us has remnants of some of the details of some of these motors, including a tri-carb LJ2. There were even LS7 (a 454 CID version of the L88) equipped Corvettes at the long-lead press preview for the 1970 models. Paul Van Valkenburgh wrote a story of his trip from Arizona to Detroit in one for, I believe, Car & Driver. Zora insisted he signed the paperwork to destroy the LS7 and that Van Valkenburgh never got one to drive. We believe only the LS5 reached production for 1970, and it is generally accepted that no LS7s were ever available to the public.

[Brad K.]

Re: C3: 460hp Vette?

Rob,
Perhaps the writer of the advertisement wasn't too familiar with Corvettes and mistakenly wrote the torque value of the 427 cubic inch engine rather than the horsepower.
Brad

[Duke W.]

Re: C3: 460hp Vette?

I believe the 460 gross HP rating was to apply to the high compression version of the LS-6 planned for the Corvette in 1970. Why it never made it to the Corvette, but made it to the Chevelle is beyond me, and the 450 HP rating for the Chevelle may have been due to different exhaust manifolds, or just plain old marketing, so the the Corvette retained the highest power rating of any Chevrolet model.

The LS-7 was basically a stroked L-88, but IIRC it was to have cast iron heads instead of aluminum. Given that "similar engines" (the same configuration, except stroke) produce about the same peak power at the same mean piston speed, this "454 L-88" would have made about the same peak power as the 427 version (assuming CI head flow was about the same with the Al heads), but at lower revs, and it would make more average power throughout the rev range due to the larger displacement.

I don't recall if a power rating was ever announced for LS-7, but I believe it was made available OTC as a crate engine.

Duke

[Dick W.]

Re: C3: 460hp Vette?

Duke, the crate engines were AL head engines. I also thought that the LS 7 that was still born for the Corvette was to be AL head. The LS-6 Chevelles are CI closed chamber engines

[Clem Z.]

the 460 HP rating was for

the open chamber,cast iron heads,12.5:1 CR,high rise intake and ZL-1 solid lifter cam 454 crate engine they sold over the counter. the 70 454 450 HP chevelles used the "sunken" intake manifold where the carb mounting surface was lower than the top of the intake ports and since the chevelle had enought hood room for the high rise intake as i put one on my 70 chevelle,that engine must have been designed originally for the corvette