What is a Chevy L88 engine?
The L88 was a fire-breathing variant of GM’s 427 cubic-inch big-block lineup, which served as nothing short of a production race engine. Officially rated at 430 HP, the L88 was capable of propelling its C2 host to previously unattainable performance status.
What is a L88 engine worth?
The L88 is very rare and fetches upward of $100,000, Remember, there were only 216 manufactured and the 427 L88 engine was only used in these Corvettes.
How much horsepower did the L88 have?
430 horsepower
The L88 used a high-overlap cam and a crushing 12.5:1 compression ratio to become one of the most powerful engines of the muscle car era. The engine was laughably underrated at 430 horsepower at 5,200 rpm but GM wasn’t completely dishonest.
What cars had the L88 engine?
The L88 also came with the largest Holley carburetor ever used on a factory GM engine as a Holley 850 vacuum-secondary. All L88 Corvette engines came with a distinctive wire cage over the air cleaner base….This old-school big-block churns out more power than you might think.
| RPM | TQ | HP |
|---|---|---|
| 6,100 | 451 | 524 |
Was the L88 all aluminum?
The ZL1 was essentially an L88 with an aluminum block. The production versions of the L88 had cast-iron exhaust manifolds and stock exhaust, and were slightly quicker than a 427/435 L71.
What does L88 mean?
For the uninitiated, the L88 designation means the car packs a 7.0-liter V-8 (hence the “427” on the hood), 4-speed manual transmission, and a Positraction rear differential. The engine was officially rated at 430 hp but made much more in reality.
Did the L88 have aluminum heads?
The L88 was produced from 1967 to 1969, and featured aluminum heads.
How many L88 Corvettes did they make?
Only 20 L88 Coupes were manufactured in 1967, and only half of those are known to exist today. The track-ready model was built for racing and made to be driven hard. Not surprisingly, the engines weren’t long for this world. Now, more than 50 years later, only three L88s still exist with their original engines.
When did the L88 big block engine come out?
The pre-production L88 big-block was introduced in 1967 and was first seen in passenger cars in 1969. The L88 engine was introduced in 1967, and although it was only offered in production vehicles until 1969, its legacy has carried on for decades.
What is the bore and stroke of a Chevy L88?
The L88 featured a bore diameter of 4.25”, and a stroke of 3.76”, which was identical to that of GM’s already existing L36 and L72 427 cubic-inch offerings. However, the L88 featured a much higher compression ratio of 12.5:1.
How much lift does a Chevy L88 engine have?
Also of note was the L88’s extremely aggressive solid lifter camshaft, which produced 0.562/0.584-inches of lift. The L88’s block was fitted with aluminum cylinder heads, which featured sizable valves (2.19” intake, 1.84” exhaust).
What kind of heads does a Chevy L88 have?
The L88’s block was fitted with aluminum cylinder heads, which featured sizable valves (2.19” intake, 1.84” exhaust). The aluminum construction of these heads cut approximately 70 pounds from the engine’s overall weight, over the cast iron heads previously utilized by earlier 427 cubic-inch offerings.