Identifying a vehicle can be a complicated undertaking, and an L88 Corvette is no accept ion, the incredibly 1st factor you have to seem at, is the value of the car or truck. In this working day and age an L88 Corvette can conveniently operate 100,000 pounds or a lot more, and if you’ve located an Corvette for sale and the human being providing the vehicle is representing it as an L88, and the value is minimal “BEWARE” of a rip-off suitable up entrance, these are really uncommon and challenging to locate cars, and even a wrecked a person can run 30,000 dollars or more.
Now down to the brass tacks, the 1st issue that I would look at is the motor codes, such as the RPO code and casting numbers to make certain that the engine is an L88, there are having said that some tell tail indications, continue to keep in thoughts that not each L88 had the 3X2 carburetor selection put in on it, this was an incorporate on recognized as the L71 tri-electrical power choice, now an L88 is a 427 CID motor, that usually arrived with a one Holley 850 double pumper carburetor, so just because you never see a tri-electricity established-up on the vehicle does not imply that it is not an L88 427 car or truck.
A real L88 Corvette is a rare come across, so you can come to feel fortunate if you happen to obtain a single, also offered was the L89 aluminum head selection, that would shave 75 kilos of the entrance stop bodyweight of the car, if your lucky adequate that the auto that you system to get has a establish sheet with it, you can know precisely what the auto arrived with from the manufacturing facility, but all over again this is a exceptional uncover in the traditional vehicle globe.
On the motor the RPO code is located on a machined pad in entrance of the passenger facet head, the RPO will notify you what calendar year the motor was designed, what engine it is, and generally what transmission was connected to the motor, it will also reveal what manufacturing plant designed the engine, the casting range will also explain to you what 12 months the engine is, how several most important caps it has and the horsepower of the motor, with the pro code you have to have to appear intently simply because individuals have been identified to machine and re-stamp these numbers, if the RPO code does not match the casting selection in any way, be really leery of the deal that your about to make, request a good deal of concerns.
When deciphering the RPO code on the front of the motor it will help to know how to study the stampings this is a standard studying for a 1957 – 69 RPO code.
1) The initially digit represents the plant that the engine was developed at
2) The subsequent two digits represent the month that the engine was designed
3) The upcoming two characterize the working day that the motor was crafted
4) The very last two are the suffix code
The suffix code is what will notify you what engine is in the vehicle, and what options it has, down below you can come across a listing of the codes for the 427 Engine.
Horsepower Transmission, Options Suffix Code
390 4-Speed, Hydraulic Lifters, Unique Cam, 4BBL Carburetor IL
390 4-Velocity, Hydraulic Lifters, Unique Cam, 4BBL Carburetor, AIR IM
390 Powerglide, Hydraulic Lifters, Unique Cam, 4BBL IQ
390 Powerglide, Hydraulic Lifters, Special Cam, 4BBL, AIR IR
400 4-Velocity, L36 Engine, 3X2 Carburetors JC
400 Powerglide, L36 Engine, 3X2 Carburetors JD
400 4-Speed, L36 Motor, 3X2 Carburetors, AIR JF
400 Powerglide, L36 Engine, 3X2 Carburetors, AIR JG
430 M22 4-Pace, 4BBL, Particular high functionality cam IT
435 4-Velocity, 3X2 Carbs, L71 Motor, Aluminum Heads IU
435 4-Speed, Mechanical Lifters, 3X2 Carbs, AIR JA
435 4-Speed, Mechanical Lifters, 3X2 Carbs JE
435 4-Pace, L71 Motor, 3X2 Carbs, Aluminum Heads, AIR JH