New to Corvette ownership

[David H.]

Hello all,

Wanted to introduce myself and tell you my story, then ask some advice.
My name is Dave Hurd and I live in Maine. I have restored classic cars in the past but had taken a hiatis for 20 years or so until 2 years ago. I came across a '59 Pontiac Star Chief that I just couldn't pass on and have restored it to a nice driver.
About a year and a half ago my brother Peter passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in Dallas. He was the proud owner of a 1962 Corvette that he treasured. He and I had talked about restoration of the car "someday". I travelled to Dallas this summer and was lucky enough to convice my sister-in-law that the Vette needed to stay in the family and that I would restore it and get it back on the road in Peter's memory. I had it shipped home and have started restoration on it.
The delema that I face is larger than I had first thought but I am determined to bring the car back to life and as close to orginal as I can.
I discovered that the engine, which is a 327 340hp 4bbl car, has blown head gaskets. As it has been sitting unused in storage for quite some time, my inclination is to pull the motor and rebuild it to orginal specs. The problem with that is I have discovered this engine will not run properly on low octane ethonal fuel from the pump. It needs high octane (104) fuel that I will have to buy in a barrel at about $9/gallon!
So here are the options that I think I have.
1. Rebuild it to specs and use high octane fuel and pay the price, but dont drive it much.
2. Find a 327 block and have a motor built for it and save the old engine for if I ever sell the car. (which I wont do unless I absolutely have to)
3. Use a 1976 350 v8 my other brother has already rebuilt and try to make it look like a 327 engine. (or not)
This car is in very good condition otherwise. Minor mechanical repairs are necessary but nothing major is involved. Interior is very good, paint is good, both tops are good.
Any thoughts and ideas would be helpful as I am really on the fence here. I want to keep the car as original as I can but I will want to drive it more than once or twice a year too.
Thanks in advance for any and all input.
I will attempt to attach pictures of the car.

[Tom H.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Welcome aboard. I'd built it to proper specs. The way the General built it. Pay a little extra for good fuel and take it out for a blast in honor of your brother !!!

[Chris E.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Ok, I'll bite.

Why does it need high octane fuel? Can't you run 91 or 92 pump gas with lead additive to help the flat tappet lifters?

[Joe C.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

I have a 63 -340 hp, 4 barrell 327. I drove it to st louis from NJ and various other ncrs road & show events and just put in it 93 octane, it runs fine, I admit it probably wouldn't perform well on the track- but for driving the car I don't think you need special fuel.

[Tom H.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

I agree. I have an L78 Chevelle and a 340 HP 63 coupe that run fine on pump fuel.

[Bruce B.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

I have put many (20,000 miles) on my 62 340 HP car and have never had any problems running on 92 or 93 octane gas. In addition no lead additive is used and the engine is just fine.
But be sure to use a engine oil high in zinc such as Rotella or any diesel compliant oil.
Rebuild it to spec (11.25 : 1 compression) and drive the wheels off it.
Have fun.
Bruce B

[John H.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

The problem with that is I have discovered this engine will not run properly on low octane ethonal fuel from the pump. It needs high octane (104) fuel that I will have to buy in a barrel at about $9/gallon!

David -

There's no reason for it to require anything but pump premium unless it's been internally modified or has had the ignition timing and advance map really "messed with". Do you know if it's been rebuilt in the past? Are the engine plant machine code stamp and the assembly plant VIN derivative stamp still visible on the block pad forward of the passenger side cylinder head? The pad should look similar to the photo below.

[David H.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

The man best know for Corvettes here in Maine is the one I was going to use to rebuild this engine. He is the one telling me that I will want to use 104 octane in this engine. The car does have 11:1 compression and a high lift cam, Carter 4bbl, Warner 4 speed, and a 456:1 posi rear end in it. The engine plant machine code stamp and the assembly plant VIN derivative stamp are still in tact and as far as I know the engine has never been touched. I really would like to rebuild it to factory specs if indeed I can run 92-93 octane pump gas in it without a problem. Sounds to me like a sales pitch to sell the high octane fuel. I did find another posting from 2008 that addressed this issue and some of that post was talking about a crate motor replacement or using a date correct 327 block rebuilt with 9:1 compression in place of the original motor. I have not seen anywhere in Maine that I can find 92-93 octane fuel tho. Who has it at the pump? I have also seen where there is some concern about using fuel with ethanol in it. Is that an issue with this engine?
I really appreciate all the feedback on this. I want to get it right the first time and make this a real tribute to my brother.

[Jim C.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Hi David,

Welcome on board!!! It's ALWAYS good to have another Corvette fan around here. Sorry about your brother. I think it's great that you're going to restore his car. Since you asked, I'd restore the car to as close to ORIGINAL as is possible - that includes the original motor. You're lucky that it's still with the car. Leave it that way if you can!!!!

As for fuel, here's what I've been doing for years with my 1966. I buy straight from the pump. I use a 50/50 mix of 92 octane and 100 octane. There's a gas station by my house called "Gas City." From approximately March 1st to October 1st, every year, Gas City supplies 100 octane fuel. It's $5.49 per gallon. Initially, I only used 92 octane, and my car ran okay. Then I tried a tank full of 100 octane, thinking it would run better. It did run a little better, but was definitely running a little "rich" and I could smell it. It was also an expensive fill up at $5.49 per gallon. I'm certainly not a chemist, but I thought that possibly mixing the 92 octane and the 100 octane at a 1:1 ratio might be a feasible solution to better mechanical performance without the "rich" smell and the so-so performance of just burning 92 octane. Using 50% of 92 octane also cut the cost of filling up with just 100 octane by more than $2 per gallon. The results: My car is running good, and it's relatively affordable to fill up.

If you can find a gas station near you that sells 100+ octane, it might be worth trying a tank full of 50/50 mixed 92 octane and 100 octane. See what you think. Good luck with your restoration. Let us know how it's going. Welcome to NCRS.

Jim C.

[Tom S.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

I agree you should have no problems running high test pump gas. Sunoco has 93 as well as Hess,Shell and I believe Chevron.Make sure the rebuilder is very cafefull of the stamp pad area .

[Jim C.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

David,

I've never been to Maine, but there's really no gas stations up there that carry 92 octane gas?!?!?!?!? Wow!!! I'm from Illinois, and frequently drive through Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan, and I don't think that I've ever been to a gas station in any one of those states that doesn't dispense 92 octane. They all carry 87, 89 and 92 octane year round.

Well, I guess you can ignore my last post to you. If you're having trouble finding 92 octane, it will probably be impossible to find 100 octane.

Jim C.

[Alan S.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Hi David,
I'd just like to say welcome and that I'm glad you're a new member and have found the Board. You can see already the good information and opinions you can get here.
I hope you enjoy the 62's restoration with your brother in mind!
Regards,
Alan

[Michael W.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

David,

It's possible your engine builder is still thinking about octane ratings from back in the 'good old days'. In the mid-70s the method calculating advertised octane ratings at the pump changed throughout North America.

98 octane gas from back then is approx. equivalent to today's 93 octane rating. I don't think a 327/340 ever needed more octane than that.

[Jerry W.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

Do you have an actual picture of your engine....As opposed to one from ProTeam sales ? Unrestored finds in that condition are hard to believe.

[Bruce B.]

Re: New to Corvette ownership

David,
As I said earlier my original 340 HP 62 runs fine on 92 or 93 octane.
I usually use Shell since it does not yet contain ethanol. Although on a trip west every gas station had 10% ethanol. It does not hurt the engine but can be bad for old rubber parts such as fuel hoses. But if you replace any old rubber gas lines with new hoses they will be ok.
Out here in southern Ohio even the cheap gas stations such as Swifty and Clarks have 92 octane along with Shell, Sunoco, BP, Gas America and numerous others.
I remember in the sixties driving my 58 Corvette from Connecticut to Lewiston , Maine and they had plenty of high-test gas back then.