Grandpa’s LS3-Powered 1962 Corvette Impresses During Its First Dyno Session

A fresh frame-off restoration has this 1962 Corvette looking great, but it’s also running pretty good, too.

In the expansive and quickly-growing world of Corvette restomods, GM’s LS family of powerplants have become a go-to choice, for obvious reasons – it’s a readily-available, affordable, and reliable line of engines, ones that can churn out serious numbers if owners so desire. For many, the stock power levels offered by these engines are plenty, but that wasn’t the case with this freshly-restored 1962 Corvette, which is owned by the grandfather of the purveyor of the YouTube channel Horsepower Depot.

Grandpa did all the work on this 1962 Corvette by himself, and the results, well, they’re truly impressive. This C1 looks amazing thanks to its frame-off restoration, with smooth silver paint, tasteful chrome wheels, and an otherwise largely stock exterior. The interior is equally clean and sanitary, finished in a nice contrasting shade of red and filled with modern amenities like Dakota Digital gauges and a Vintage Air HVAC system.

However, this particular outing is all about what powers this C1 – a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 crate engine, which utilizes a Holley Terminator X Max setup and is mated to a 4L60 automatic transmission. Prior to hitting the rollers, grandpa predicts that his freshly built ride will make around 375 horsepower, which would be a solid number by most measurements. He’s pretty darn close too, as the car lays down numbers of 372, 387, and 400 on its first three tries.

However, that isn’t good enough for the owner’s horsepower-obsessed grandson, who continues to tinker with the brand new engine to extract as much power as he can from it. The results are impressive, with the final tally coming in at 436 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque – “too much power for a 73-year-old guy,” the owner replies. The result is also far better than his grandson had expected, particularly since this engine is mated to a slush box automatic. But ultimately, it’s just further proof of why the LS has become such a popular engine swap candidate in recent years.

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