Building a 1969 Corvette with a Massive 632 Cubic-Inch V8

This giant motor has found a new home in a cool street/strip 1969 Corvette project.

These days, old Corvettes are pretty valuable, so we don’t see quite as many custom projects as we used to, outside of restomods. But Corvette Forum member 632C2 is cooking up something pretty special at the moment – he’s installing a 632 cubic-inch “Big Chief” big block in his 1969 Corvette, and he’s documenting his work in this thread. Needless to say, it’s worth a closer look, because this particular 1969 Corvette is going to be pretty wild when this project is finished.

This engine was originally in 632C2’s 1967 Corvette, but he pulled it and wound up selling it to a friend. That friend never got around to doing anything with it and eventually sold it back to the OP. Now, he’s installing it in his son Paul’s 1969 Corvette, a process that turned out to be a bit more complicated than he expected. The OP has been working on the project for over a year now, but needless to say, it’s going to be worth the effort when it’s completed.

The big motor utilizes a Dart race series cast-iron block, Dart 18 degree Big Chief heads with titanium valves, Jesel rocker arms and pushrods, a Sonny Bryant crankshaft, Crower I-beam connecting rods, J&E 12.0:1 pistons, Casidiam coated wrist pins, a Comp Cams camshaft, Jesel belt drive, Edelbrock Big Victor intake manifold,  and Moroso dry sump pump to make 941 horsepower and 770 pound-feet of torque on the dyno, the last time the old ’67 was on one, at least.

Behind it lies a G-Force G101a clutch-assisted 4-speed gearbox with McLeod upgrades, a Tom’s 12-bolt rear differential with 3.73 gears, as well as Tom’s trailing arms, rear spring, camber control rods, frame reinforcers, and upper control arms with half-shaft loops. This street-strip car is also getting an 8.50 NHRA certified roll cage because it’s going to see equal duty on the street and the strip.

This project isn’t finished yet, and the OP still needs to install the rear end, front suspension, brakes, and interior, but the giant mill already looks awesome under the hood of this 1969 Corvette. So be sure and follow along with this project by heading over here!

Photos: Corvette Forum

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