To Dump in $$ or Not??

[rmonty]

I have a '79 L-82 close ratio 4 speed that I have verified as having the original numbers matching engine. The car is pretty original exept for "Bubba" installed a poor excuse for a dual exhaust system on it and a set of '80-'81 wheels and 60 series tires. The interior is good but needs the seat covers redone. It has just short of 82,000 miles.

I have been chasing an engine miss that ocurrs when I lay into it and finally took it to a local Vette shop to have them take a look at it. They think it has a lobe on the cam that is going flat. The carb, distributor, vacuum system and everything else are OK. It doesn't burn oil, the plugs are all burning with no signs of oil.

My question to the forum is: given the relative rareness of the '79 L-82 close ratio 4 speed combination on a car that is in pretty decent condition . . . would you replace just the cam and lifters or go through a complete rebuild of the engine? I will need to pull the engine either way unless I can just remove the radiator and "sneek" the cam in with the engine in place.

Somewhere there is a fine line between spending the right amount of money to maintain a 25 year old car and . . . insanity.

[photovette]

Put a new motor or rebuilt motor in if you yank the old one anyway. Much more power and probably cheaper. If cost is an issue, than just lie to your wife.

[Grizzly]

It's the age old question. What are you going to do with it. A 79 is not a high dollar car yet, so perhaps a crate motor would be the best bet. That way you could run it as hard as you like and not worry about the orginal numbers matching block.

That's what my plan is when it is time to add a C3 to the stable.

[78SilvAnniv]

Sorry, I have to vote for insanity.

If you take into account, the low miles for a 25 year old car...that only averages out to 3280 miles per year and does not account for how much time the vehicle may have sat parked.

I'd recommend a crate engine. We pulled my engine this past winter, TWICE! We were fixing minimal items but continued having problems until we pulled it a second time and completely rebuilt it. Cost-wise...it would have been cheaper in the long run for us to have purchased a ready-to-go crate engine.

We thought we'd save money by doing it ourselves, but as the cost of small items added up and the cost of special tools needed added to the overall monies spent, we discovered that while we enjoyed the experience of doing it ourselves, in the future we will purchase a crate engine with a warranty.

Granted, your engine is only suspected to have a flat lobe on the cam.
Mine had kissed #4 piston with the intake valve. We first replaced the heads and pushrods because we knew the valve stem and pushrod were bent. What we didn't know, until we tore the engine all the way down, was that I had also bent the cam.

What I am saying is, you may find when you tear into it that you have to go deeper and deeper into your wallet. Are you prepared?
Heidi

ps...then again, you may not have to dive into your wallet, and I think that would be great.

[The73vetteman]

Originally Posted by rmonty

.......I will need to pull the engine either way unless I can just remove the radiator and "sneek" the cam in with the engine in place.

I'm in a similar situation. My # matching L48 has 116k miles on it and I'm pretty sure the cam needs replacing. Can anyone confirm that this is possible with the engine in the car? Is it even wise?

How long does the original cam last anyway? Comments anyone?

John

[rmonty]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Hedi, if I do decide to repair rather than replace it with a crate motor I will commit whatever $$ it takes to do it right . . . then my wife will have me committed soon after! Come to think of it, no mater what I decide, she is going to thow out the old "money pit" comment here and there! She's a great wife, she just doesn't share the same passion for these late 70's sharks that you and I do!

As for John's question, the shop I took it too says that yes, if you pull off the hood and remove the radiator a person can install a cam without removing the engine.

[The73vetteman]

Interesting advice monty. But I wonder, just because it can be done that way, does that mean it should be?

Anyone actually changed a cam this way?

[CQRT]

In the event you choose to replace the original engine, you may want to clean up the old one and crate it up in the event the next owner wants strict originality - - they can rebuilt it if it warrants the investment and meantime, you enjoy the performance of the new crate engine without making irrevocable changes to the car.

Just my .02

Regards

[MoeJr]

I vote crate engine. Take the original L82 and bag it up and store it. That way you still have the original engine. If it were me I would go to GM performance parts and buy the 350/330HP Crate engine and drop that in there with the accessories from the L82 on it. Would be a great runner.

[78SilvAnniv]

Have you determined a plan of action in case you find the lobes on the cam are just fine and NOT flat in any spots?
Heidi

[rmonty]

To Heidi's question . . . my next step is to pop of the valve covers and put my dial indicator on each rocker arm to prove if there is actually a flat lobe or not. If there is, the crate engine option is sounding pretty good. I would hang onto the original engine too. If there are no flat lobes . . . I go to plan B . . . to continue troubleshooting! I think we have ruled out ignition and carb problems already, but it never hurts to look at them again.

Thanks for all the replies . . . I knew I could count on the CAC gang!

[MoeJr]

rmonty, one thing to check if you find it is not a flat lobe is the power piston in the front of the QJet. If this becomes stuck in the down position the car will stumble badly when you lay into the throttle. It is not uncommon for them to become galled in there sleeve. I know also that this is a stupid suggestion but make sure the fuel filter is facing the right way. Keep us posted.

[rmonty]

I confirmed today that there is indeed a problem with the cam . . . the #6 exhaust lobe is toast! It barley moves when turnig over the engine. The interesting thing on this is that if you blip the throttle hard you can hear it burping back through the intake. This tells me that the intake valve in that cylinder may be burned as well.

So . . . now is the time to make the big decision. Buy a crate motor and save the L-82 for a future owner or rebuild the L-82? I am leaning toward rebuilding the L-82 and giving it a little more punch with a little more cam and compression. I haven't approached "the wife" about funding for this yet. How much $$ should I go begging for; crate motor vs. rebuild of the L-82?

I have a quote of $1500 for a rebuild of the L-82 with 10:1 compression, balanced, rods reconditioned, new cam/lfters/timing chain/gears/pistons, heads redone with new valves and springs, the block and heads surfaced and all new bearings.

What are your thoughts on dumping more $$ into a '79? Am I crazy or do you think if I hang onto it for a few years this is a good investment?

[IH2LOSE]

What are your thoughts on dumping more $$ into a '79? Am I crazy or do you think if I hang onto it for a few years this is a good investment?


Well I dont know the condition of the car.Nor what your future plans are.I do feel that all of the C3'S time has come for them to increase in price supstantually

With that said.In my area the average motor rebuild from a high quaility machine shop with a balance and blue print goes for about the same amount of money as a crate motor would go for.I am not sure of the HP rating of your motor but I would think one of the many small block crate motors would be an excellent choice for you. Its just a quick week end project. and then bag your original motor incase you want to make it factory correct latter on.Good luck with your project

[ArkShark]

Even with that info, I think a new crate engine is the way to go.
Power, reliability (comes with warranty), even looks... you can't beat that.