Factory Big Block ’66 Corvette Packs a Beefed-Up ZZ502 Under the Hood

Leonard Buote has owned this 1966 Corvette since 1967. Since then, it’s been a big block thrill ride (almost) the whole way.

When it comes to C2 Corvettes, the 1967 L89 427/435HP big block is the undisputed king of the high-performance hill. So, how do you improve on perfection?

If you’re Leonard Buote of Sun City, California, you stuff an even bigger, badder engine underneath that forward-hinged hood. In this case, “bigger” means a GM Performance Parts ZZ502 crate engine.

However, the 502 wasn’t big enough. Before taking up permanent residence between those fiberglass fenders, Buote and a friend punched the crate engine out to a whopping 533 cubic inches.

The result? A dyno-proven 700 horsepower with 645 lb/ft of torque to the rear mag wheels, according to Hot Rod. To date, Buote’s best quarter-mile time is a blistering 11.6 seconds at 124 miles per hour. That’s more than powerful enough to keep up with newer machinery.

The Right Stuff

The more modern ZZ502 engine may share its basic architecture with the big block that originally found its home in Buote’s Corvette. However, it’s considerably more advanced, especially considering the suite of upgrades performed by Buote and his friend.

The crankshaft and rods come from Scat, and the rotating assembly is topped off by SRP pistons. The cam is a Comp Cams XR300HR steel billet hydraulic roller, paired with a set of Comp roller rockers and beehive valve springs.

The aluminum heads that come with the ZZ502 are already excellent, so they were treated to a port job and otherwise left alone. The engine is fed by a Holley Ultra HP 950 CFM carburetor. It breathes through a pair of long tube headers with 2 1/8″ primaries connected, naturally, to a set of side pipes.

A Lifelong Love Affair

Buote’s black 1966 coupe is no stranger to big blocks. In 1967, he bought the car for $3,995. At that time, it was a one-year-old used car with 8,000 miles. By that point, it had already had its original L72 427/425hp engine replaced once. Sure, it wasn’t a ’67 L89 car, but it was plenty potent.

Buote daily drove the car, and eventually wore the engine out. He found an L88 short block at a local service station and bought it for just $700. Some guys have all the luck.

After 30,000 miles of daily driving duty, that valuable L88 was mighty tired. Incredibly, he traded it to his pal Chuck for a 350 swapped between the fenders. Some friend.

Thankfully, the downgrade wouldn’t last forever. After intermittent brake issues sidelined the ’66 Corvette for several years, he called on that same friend to help him fix the brakes. That’s when he saw the then-new ZZ502 crate engine in the GM Performance Parts catalog.

The year was 1999. By that time, the Buote’s Corvette had already been sidelined for several years. At that point, what’s another few years to get it right?

With the blessing of his understanding wife, Buote restored the whole car, and built that impressive new engine up as a finishing touch. The result is what you see here. We’d say it was worth the wait.

Photos: Hot Rod

.