My old Ghetto Ride, a '68 L36 Roadster

Wasn’t there a 427cu tri-power rated at 430hp but actual hp figures were closer to 500hp and torque was monstrous at around 510. I read that many muscle cars were derated for insurance purposes
The L71 tri power 427 had 435 advertised hp…for insurance purposes. IMO, the 70 Chevelle SS454 LS6 450 advertised hp, is the pinnacle of the muscle car era.
 
what ghetto are you from?
Los Gatos, South Bay Area. Little town with lotsa sunshine. I never had the Ragtop up on the '68. It was a cheapie replacement anyways; I bought a factory equivalent top that you see in the pictures. My BIL has been doing all the finishing work...
 
The L71 tri power 427 had 435 advertised hp…for insurance purposes. IMO, the 70 Chevelle SS454 LS6 450 advertised hp, is the pinnacle of the muscle car era.
I had a CRR engine, 1970 Chevelle LS6 with AT, in a 1970 Vette. In 1970, the LS6 option was "available" but none were produced or sold.
There were very few LS6 Chevelles ever sold.

450HP and 500 #ft torque. With the TH400 and heavy duty torque converter, this car was faaaaast! 4 to 6 mpg... I sold it for the 68 Roadster.

By the way, the Tri-Power cars look cool but a single 4BBL was better for performance and driveability. The L36 in my car was the same as the L68 Tri-Power 400HP except for the carbs. Same compression, cam, etc. The L36 used the Q-Jet, which is a great carb. I love Quadra Junks! Still have an unmolested one on the shelf.
 
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The L88 option, 67, 68 and 69, but it used a single Holley 4 BBL. Factory racer, very few sold. High ticket cars today. The HP rating was accurate at the RPM it was measured at, but it revved far higher so output was closer to 600 HP.
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I believe they did the same shenanigans with the street Hemis, rating them 425hp at 5000rpm. Which was factual, but it was not the peak HP, which was over 1000 rpm later and closer to 500.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/how-hot-the-hemi/

Ah, the days when you would get MORE power than advertised instead of less!
 
Love it! Wow, gorgeous car! The C6 was my favorite, but I think I have to give the crown to the lines on that 68 convertible. Drop dead gorgeous with the top down!

Get that transmission rebuilt and drop that gear and GO!!

The one I haven´t liked so much is the C8. It looks more like a Lambo than a Vette. However, I saw a white Indy 500 Official Car C8 yesterday and it looked pretty good in white.

Let´s see some interior pics of that roadster!

This one now pales a little bit after seeing that. But it still has the genetic resemblance in the lines to its great grandfather.

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You might know my neighbors, who are active in the Indy area corvette club and have had their car on the track as part of the 500 festivities. They have his and hers C7s. PM me if you want their names.
 
I like those, too. I had Walker Dynomaxes on my first car (1967 Coronet) and while they weren’t loud, they had a wonderful throaty tone I loved.
walker and arvin industries had some contracts through the years with GM to be an oe supplier for exhaust products.
 
That year range of vetts are very nice.
Up to the smogger years, and with chrome bumpers. I almost bought a nice '72 black on black small block which was in far better condition than the '68. But I wanted a BB. A very expensive choice, as the car was rough. The '72 was a nice driver, and better balanced.

'72 is the newest C3 I would consider. '68 and '69 are the years to own, IMO.
 
The car is in Gig Harbor, WA at my sister and BIL place. He has a "Garage Mahal". I will ask for some engine pics, but it is a stock L36 427/390. Looks like this, but not as clean. Mark has a nasty roller engine he wants to swap in while he details the stocker.
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Glad I was sitting. WOW! Under hood photo would have buckled my knees. You lucky man. Enjoy! Did you share engine mileage?
Just curious. I know how much work it takes to keep the black paint clean and shiny from my latest favorite 76 ChevelleS3. Passed her om to a new home in 2019. Not an easy thing to do. I never felt that way about any of the boats I went thru even though I toiled to keep them clean and like new as well. This day was a Liquid Glass shine.

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When the top goes down, the price goes up...
I don't like the F70 15 rubber. Too tall. And these tires are ancient; they were on the car when I got it in the late 80's I think.
68Back.webp

68 3qtr.webp

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Los Gatos, South Bay Area. Little town with lotsa sunshine. I never had the Ragtop up on the '68. It was a cheapie replacement anyways; I bought a factory equivalent top that you see in the pictures. My BIL has been doing all the finishing work...
I dont reckon that is a ghetto, even if it is in CA.

I was just north of you in March went to pier 39 area, Alcatraz, Chinatown and Yosemite
 
When the top goes down, the price goes up...
I don't like the F70 15 rubber. Too tall. And these tires are ancient; they were on the car when I got it in the late 80's I think.
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Best (please) replace those tires before any high speed driving. I had an accident that put over $5500 damage on my Chevelle the same day that photo I posted was taken because I kept taking chances on a set of Uniroyal Tiger Paw OEM tires. I knew better and kept putting off replacing them. I drove that car about 75 miles that morning on interstate doing 50mph-70mph. Started off doing the same thing after the SuperChevyShow and on the way home BOOM! At 60mph-70mph! Right front belt shifted and before I could pull over she went to pieces and destroyed the front fender and messed up the front bumper. I was extremely lucky to stop without crashing. Two National Guard uniformed soldiers jumped out and replaced it with the spare instantly. They had been following me and looking over the car and saw the entire thing. It is far too dangerous to keep using old tires that are on a classic that is not driven much. They can also flat spot on us if you leave the car too long on cement. LOVE the car. Be safe and enjoy it. (y)
 
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