VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1965-1970 69 350

do my 69 corvette 350 have solid lifters. wear hearning aids but sounts like I can hear the lifters at slow speeds. thanks

Should have hydraulic lifters.

Unless you have a special high performance engine it will have hyd. lifters.

No you wont have them, they only offered those in the 427 high performance engine.

Only 427 / 435 HP tri power with special hi perf cam has solid lifters.

Maybe you're hearing a rattling heat riser ? ? ?

the 69 L-88 engines also had solid lifters.mike

Yes, there were 116 L88's added to 1969 Corvettes.

I should have stated " Based on standard 1969 Corvette RPO's,
only 427 / 435 HP tri power with special hi perf cam has solid lifters".

As I remember, the 69-70 350 LT-1 had solids.

https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/do...its/Corvette/1969-Chevrolet-Corvette.pdf

Going to page 14 of the 1969 Corvette Engine Specs, in the GM Heritage Information, you'll see listed the 300 hp and 350 hp 350 engine. Both are shown with hydraulic lifters.

The LT-1 was the ultimate 350 cu in V8, becoming available in 1970. It used solid lifters, 11:1 compression, the '178' high-performance camshaft, and a 780 CFM Holley four-barrel carburetor on a special aluminum intake, with rams' horn exhaust manifolds in the Chevrolet Corvette, Delco transistor ignition and a low-restriction exhaust factory rated at 370 bhp in the Corvette, and 360 bhp at 6000 rpm and 380 lb-ft at 4000 in the Camaro Z28[8] (the NHRA rated it at 425 hp for classification purposes). Redline was 6500 rpm but power fell off significantly past 6200 rpm. The LT-1 was available in the Corvette, and Camaro Z28. Power was down in 1971 to dual-rated 330 bhp, 255 nethp and 360 lb-ft of torque with 9:1 compression, and again in 1972 (the last year of the LT-1, now rated using net only, rather than gross, measurement) to 255 bhp and 280 lb-ft

Here's another bit of information, speaking of the two engine options scheduled for 1969, the ZL1 and the LT1 ...... but the LT1 was held back until 1970.

"Two new performance options were announced for 1969: One was extremely rare -- with only two installed -- the other was ostensibly available but put back a year. The former was RPO ZL1, which was essentially the mighty big-block L88 with all-aluminum construction plus numerous other modifications including dry-sump lubrication. Devised for the British-built McLarens that would dominate the SCCA's Canadian-American Challenge Cup series, this engine had the same compression and carburetion as the L88 but weighed 100 pounds less. It also carried the same 430-bhp rating, but that was a joke; over-the-counter racing versions were reportedly good for 585 bhp. It lurked beneath a special domed hood shared with the L88 (RPO ZL2) incorporating an air intake at the high-pressure area near the base of the windshield.

Of course, Duntov hadn't dismissed the potential of small-block power. Listed for 1969 but not available until 1970 (owing to development and manufacturing problems) was a special solid-lifter version of the new 350. Coded LT1, it was right in line with Duntov's longtime goal of minimizing weight in a performance car growing heavier with every newly added creature comfort. Unlike tamer small blocks, the LT1 had more radical cam timing with more generous valve overlap, used the big-block engines' hefty 2.5-inch-diameter exhaust system, breathed through the same 850-cfm Holley carb fitted to the L88/ZL1, and came with transistorized ignition. The result was 370 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 380 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. It was offered only with a four-speed manual transmission, and a Corvette so equipped typically streaked through the standing quarter-mile in 14.2 seconds at 102 mph. Visual identification was subtle -- just the special domed hood with perimeter striping and discreet "LT1" lettering."