1982 Corvette Rights All the Wrongs With a Stroked Small Block Transplant

A ZZ383 crate motor and a few other tasteful mods make this 1982 Corvette far more appealing.

The later 1970s into the 1980s weren’t the greatest in terms of performance vehicles, as smog equipment and gas prices prompted automakers to essentially halt the muscle car movement, and many didn’t survive as a result. Other sports cars, like the Corvette, managed to drudge on, albeit with little excitement to offer under the hood. As such, the C3 generation was largely dominated by underpowered engines, though the seller of this 1982 Corvette – which is currently up for grabs at Bring a Trailer – righted those wrongs by giving it a stroked small block.

Some may still prefer the early chrome bumper cars, but these later C3s still look good in our humble opinion – they just aren’t thrilling to drive, without some sort of major surgery. That is certainly the case here, but this 1982 Corvette has also received a host of additional updates that have it looking great, too. Those include a fresh orange vinyl wrap, new bumper covers and a new spoiler, and Gray 18-inch Vision America 143 Torque wheels wrapped with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires.

Inside the cabin, you’ll find some freshly reupholstered tan leather seats, along with a host of amenities including a power-adjustable driver’s seat, an Alpine CD stereo, cruise control, a tilt steering column, air conditioning, and power windows, mirrors, and locks. It’s a very nice interior to spend some time in, that’s for certain.

Under the hood, this car’s original 350 V8 is long gone, replaced by a GM ZZ383 crate engine that’s topped off with a Holley Sniper EFI. Headers and a cutout exhaust help amplify its sound when desired, which provides a soundtrack for the powerplant’s factory rating of 425 horsepower and 449 pound-feet of torque. The seller also ditched the car’s four-speed manual transmission in favor of a five-speed manual, while a 3.54-geared Positraction rear end helps put the power to the ground.

This 1982 Corvette is certainly far better than it was new in a variety of ways, which is precisely how you “fix” these cars, in our opinion, at least. A little infusion of power is all it takes, and in this case, that’s also complemented by some other tasteful mods to boot.

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Photos:Bring a Trailer