Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

[Tag W.]

Hi Guys,been Reading With Interest Some Posts On Merits Of L-36 Vs.l-71,especially Since I'm Considering Buying The 435 H.p. Car. Are They Really That Tough To Live With?i've Owned A 350/350 And Found Even That Car Needed A Little Octane Assistance To Really Run Right.so My Question Is,from Owners L-71 Cars Would You Still Purchase It After Living With It For Awhile?

[William C.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

early 68 cars were generally awful in engine cooling, got better as the model year went on. 69 had cooling figured out pretty well, but had a lot of other issues. It's a pick your poison choice.

[David S.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?



Best,
Dave

[John C.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

Tag

I've owned a 68 L71 engined car for 7 years now. I love the car.

Is a L36 more practical then a L71 for the street? Yes it is, but I wouldn't call either one really practical. They are both going to be cramped, hot, and loud.

As for being tough to live with I can get my car with it's original 11 to 1 CR to run on 91 octane pump gas. You probably will get a little dieseling at shutdown on hot days. I live in Phoenix so I'm talking 100 degrees and higher. To me no big deal as you just just let out the clutch as you turn the car off. My biggest issue has been fuel leaks from the Holley carbs. I check for leaks every time I take the car out.

Why do I put up with that? When I take the car up the freeway on ramp and the end carburetors kick in - I go from feeling I'm in a fast car to I'm headed to the moon. I won't trade that for practicality.

Also, if you go to a car show people will look at an L36 Corvette and say oh what a nice car. When they look at a L71 they will say that was their dream car.

Live the dream.

John

[Joe L.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

Best,
Dave

Dave-----


Yes, as I've said many times before, when it came to "razzle-dazzle" Chevrolet used "3 deuces". When it came to all-out performance, they used a single four barrel.

[Joe L.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

Hi Guys,been Reading With Interest Some Posts On Merits Of L-36 Vs.l-71,especially Since I'm Considering Buying The 435 H.p. Car. Are They Really That Tough To Live With?i've Owned A 350/350 And Found Even That Car Needed A Little Octane Assistance To Really Run Right.so My Question Is,from Owners L-71 Cars Would You Still Purchase It After Living With It For Awhile?

Tag------

I once-upon-a-time bought new and drove a 1966 Chevelle SS 396 with the L-34 (360 hp) engine. This engine is, except for 31 cubic inches of displacement, basically the same engine as the Corvette L-36. I put way over 100,000 miles on this car in the about 2-1/2 years I owned it. It was powerful and had great driveability. It even got reasonable fuel mileage for the day.

Then, I bought new a 1968 Chevelle SS 396 with an L-78 (375 hp) engine . This engine is, except for 31 cubic inches of displacement, basically the same engine as the Corvette L-72 (and, virtually identical to the 1965 Corvette L-78 except for exhaust manifolds). This engine was a BEAST. It was very finicky, high maintenance, had poor driveability, and got TERRIBLE gas mileage. As I've mentioned before, it's the only car I ever drove , before or since, that I EVER ran out of gas with and it happened TWICE in the 16 months I owned the car. I sold it with pleasure.

Today, cars are made with over 600 horsepower (SAE net horsepower, too, and not the SAE gross that pre-72 cars were rated under). However, even if there were no emissions or fuel economy regulations to contend with, I really don't believe that any automaker would build and sell a car with the driveability characteristics of an L-78, L-72, or L-71. Such characteristics are so far from "world class" standards it's almost laughable.

[Jack C.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

Tag, don't forget about the L68. With it, you have the mildness of the L36 and the glitz of the L71 in one package.

[Tag W.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

joe,appreciate The Words Of Wisdom

[Tag W.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

nice Car Jack,how Much?ha!ha!

[Daniel S.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

Have owned my '68 L71 for about 10 yrs now. Had a minor issue at first with keeping it cool on super hot days. Took care of that by replacing the copper rad with a Dewitts alum unit. Runs good on pump gas unless I'm running it hard in which case I just add a splash of racing fuel to the tank. There are trade offs with running a big block vs small block but none that are show stoppers or that can't be overcome.

[Duke W.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

Tag

You probably will get a little dieseling at shutdown on hot days.

John

Unless you have already done so, converting the OE ported to full time vacuum advance will eliminate this problem, lower coolant temperatures in low speed traffic, and improve fuel economy about 10 percent in around town driving.

It's been discussed many times including the part number of the new VAC you will need if you do the conversion.

Duke

[Ridge K.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

Tag, don't forget about the L68. With it, you have the mildness of the L36 and the glitz of the L71 in one package.

amen, Jack....!

[Gary K.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

First post as an NCRS member, have to comment about the 1968 L-71 "beast" in my garage. In the family since 1970, I now am caretaker and am unlocking all it's secrets after it sat still in a Massachusetts garage for 27 years. In 1975 my dad took out the tri-power (said it was tough to keep in tune for everyday use) and I have just rebuilt the huge 780cfm Holley 4150 carb.

After a DeWitts radiator, brakes, tires, tune up and other work I have been test driving here in Phoenix and it's an absolute rocket. Yes it's hot, but the raw power and dragstrip-ready acceleration are really what this motor is all about. Camaros, Chevelles and other assorted tricked up muscle cars are all over this neighborhood but really nothing comes close to my bright Safari yellow Corvette L-71 in it's basic form. Just my two cents of course...

[Mark K.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

I really don't understand some of these objections to the L71. As a 15 year owner of a 67 L71 I can say that it does take a little fiddling, but I don't find it hard to work with at all. In reality, it's just a 2 barrel for most of its life. You can close off the other two carbs and it will run just fine - unless you want that additional power.

The carbs (really just the center carb) do leak when they get aged. That is in virtually all cases due to the metering block warping. And this happens to all Holleys. I also find myself regularly cleaning the plugs.

My car does well on 93 octane and runs quite nicely. I just don't like to let the car sit in traffic. If I sit in traffic, I'll see the temp gauge hit just over 210, but mostly it runs around 190 or so.

I've taken some GM execs for a ride in my car and they were surprised at how docile the car felt for most of the trip. I think part of the problem with L71s is that many people restore these cars and just let them sit for years - it's like they are jewelery for some. Sure everything is "original" as the NCRS guide states, but the cars are rarely sorted out. Even with my car, it takes a few drives at the beginning of the year to start feeling "normal" to me again. It's just a great car for a weekend blast.

[Tag W.]

Re: Is L-71 Really That Troublesome?

hi mark,when you say you clean the plugs alot i'm assuming you are referring to the spark plugs?