Hi, I bought a c4 corvette with the L98 350 and 700r4 auto. The car has okay power, but it’s not anything exhilarating, which is not to expect with a 35 year old car. On top of everything my transmission needs a front seal and likely a rebuild but I won’t know until it’s out, so I’ll need to decide to get a stick rebuild or something to hold a little more power. Low end power is decent, but high end power is not anything special. I’ve been looking at many different options. I’d like to make a decision as soon as possible so I can start before it gets to be spring already. My options are: leave the engine in it and do heads, cam, and new intake then a tune up which it NEEDS, but I’m unsure of how much power those will add. Either option I choose I’d like to add a less restrictive exhaust system. I can easily see paying over 2k for this option. My next option is to buy a bare block, unsure what, 283,327,350, possibly a 454. Then I’d have to do an entire rebuild from pan to intake obviously. I’d have no clue what all this would cost. My final option is to buy a short block online and buy an intake and heads and all that. What would my best option be to save money while getting close to 300whp? Not looking for it to be a race car but would like it more fun. I know any kind of rebuild from not the original motor would require a ton of fabrication, but I think it will still be bearable. TIA

 

Welcome to the forum.

Have you considered a Chevy crate engine? Probably cheapest in the long run and you get a warranty.

 

I'd stay as far away from a 454 as possible. Better to use a modified 400SBC or modify what you have now. A 1985 454 was still a smog motor. That means less compression and open chambered heads. I'd boost it to 10.5 to 11.5 compression, new heads which a bit of cam work..