Any Knowledgeable C1 Corvette guys here?

[George Smolinski]

I looked at a 1960 Corvette yesterday and have a question about the car and the tach in it. The original engine is long gone and owner doesn't know what 283 was in it. I saw the factory tach was a 7000 rpm unit & I believe the redline was either 5500 or 6000.  Does that offer a clue as to what the original engine was?

[JCHansen1]

There are differences. 5500 would be a 230 or 245hp car. The 270hp cars are like a 6300 rpm redline. There are also early and late tachs in 60 with some slight cosmetic differences but no change in redline, it was engine dependent. 

[George Smolinski]

1 hour ago, JCHansen1 said:

There are differences. 5500 would be a 230 or 245hp car. The 270hp cars are like a 6300 rpm redline. There are also early and late tachs in 60 with some slight cosmetic differences but no change in redline, it was engine dependent. 

Thanks for the info. I’ll check the redline next time I look at it.

[JCHansen1]

Check the block for a suffix code on the pad on the front passenger corner of the block. If it hasn't been milled off in a rebuild it can provide an indication of the original HP of the engine currently in the car. Bonus points for a block casting code and date, as some suffixes were sometines used more than one year and on different types of engines. These are commonly found on the back of the block, and if the ignition shielding is still there it will be harder but not impossible to see. There are several differences besides a tach in the 270 and up cars compared to the lower powered ones you can read about if you suspect you have a high HP car on your hands.

[Ed Luddy]

99% of C1 Corvette sellers will hype the car ad if there's a slight possibility it's a high HP car. I had a 60 Corvette many many years ago. I recall it had wooden gears in the tach drive.

[George Smolinski]

1 hour ago, JCHansen1 said:

Check the block for a suffix code on the pad on the front passenger corner of the block. If it hasn't been milled off in a rebuild it can provide an indication of the original HP of the engine currently in the car. Bonus points for a block casting code and date, as some suffixes were sometines used more than one year and on different types of engines. These are commonly found on the back of the block, and if the ignition shielding is still there it will be harder but not impossible to see. There are several differences besides a tach in the 270 and up cars compared to the lower powered ones you can read about if you suspect you have a high HP car on your hands.

I'm familiar with the engine ID code for Chevrolets and with the alphanumeric casting codes. When I'm looking at the car again, I'll check the front pad. Study my "Chevrolet by the Numbers" books regularly. For anyone reading this thread, the photo shows locations for the codes we are discussing.

Edited October 6, 2022 by George Smolinski (see edit history)