1965 Corvette (L79) vs 1970 Camaro Z28 (LT1) 1/4 Mile Drag Race - Road Test TV ® 

Best was / is Chev number 2 off road cam. absolutely streatable, a weapon and did I mention FUN.

Great factory cam, worked great in 350s also...when I was a teen mid 80s you could buy those cams right from the dealer

hell yeah

And 1970 1/2 was the best of all..

beloog99 not a huge fan but they still a sexy engine

I love mustangs ...but I really think gm should have retro style the z28 from this year it would be super killer looking..but oh well

I love mustangs ...but I really think gm should have retro style the z28 from this year it would be super killer looking..but oh well

A friend got a 350-H.P.-327-CID 1965 Malibu 4-speed,3.73 Posi-Trac. Very Quick car.

It's what Bill Jenkins used to do in the hemi's.

70 Z/28 had solid lifters

love my L79 revs to the moon so much fun

Feel like that vette had a bit of a weight advantage.

We did the same with our 340`s...took on big blocks too...great small blocks by gm and Chrysler!

I loved my 340 ... but let's not forget the 351 Cleveland ... that thing was well designed from the get "go"! 😉

340 is one my favorite,we had it inside a 17 ft sidewinder ski boat

Yep own a Lt1 with M22 factory numbers . Like a crazy Pearson took it out put in 481 bb turbo400 . Let my beat friend put Lt1 in a nova . Blew the BB AWAY

@@mothertree It's amazing that with a 440 avail. the 340 sold so well. I mean that in a good way. Great small block.

Thanks for watching, Les. We really enjoyed filming these races.

"Where they keep finding them"????? .........No need to "find them".........simply go to the races, and they're there, doing what they love to do. They also happen to be fairly well to do, because nobody can race like this, without having the funds to keep these cars in good racing condition and repairing them when they break, and they DO break. I agree with ya 100%.......this beats the hell out of seeing these classics "under glass" or trailered to shows.

The 1/4 mile is a very safe race track. Few accidents happen, so they don't worry about their cars getting trashed.

@@toomanyhobbies2011 You're so full of shit kid, it ain't even funny. I can tell already, you've never even been down a drag strip in a 12 second car, let alone some of these cars built to get down into the 10's and even 9's, or you wouldn't be saying that shit to begin with. "so they don't worry about their cars getting trashed".........NO experienced race car driver obsesses over "crashing the car"......if they did, they wouldn't be racing. "Few accidents happen"........OH YES THEY DO, AND FAIRLY OFTEN. Why the hell do ya think the rules demand to install an APPROVED roll cage in ANY car going faster than 10's......I think it is. BECAUSE OF THE DANGER IN DRAG RACING. Hell kid, you sound like you've never even been to a sanctioned drag racing event.......or VERY few.

@@howabouthetruth2157 These are 13 second cars. I've been going to the drags off and on since I was a small child in the fifties. I've never seen a 13 second car wreck at the drag strip. If it ever happened, it would have been an exceedingly rare event. And yes, I have driven a 12 second car. 12 and 13 second cars aren't required to run a roll cage.

@@herman452 I would say you went to the drag strip more "off" than "on"........if you've never seen a 13 second car crash. And I've been attending drag races since the 60's. My uncle used to co-own Baileyton Good Time Drag Strip decades ago in north Alabama. Not to mention all the tracks I attended here in central Florida. Also, many of the cars in this class have minor mods that are legal making them faster than 13 second cars. Note how I said some of these cars in certain classes are running down in the 11's, and some even quicker. IN THE CORRECT CLASS. And they are STILL "STOCK APPEARING"......in other words, classic muscle cars modified. If you've been to the races like you say, you should know that. And who the hell is talking about roll cages.......you brought that up. I never said "a 13 second car requires a roll cage". But that doesn't mean an accident can't happen, because with these older cars, they DID. Especially among drivers with less experience.

@The Truth about Africa hurts No, I have been paying attention to the automotive world for the last 33 years now.

Also, drag strip starting lines are nowhere near as slippery as they were back in the day.

@@herman452 Thank you for knowing what you're talking about. Rare these days.

I will take a DZ 302 any day!

@@johnwetzel1048 DZs 💪💪💪💯

Yep, the Vette is lighter, only 10hp less.

@@SealofPerfection There's more to it than just "weight difference"......and don't get me wrong: getting as much weight out of the car as possible is very important. But track conditions play a huge role too, assuming both cars are running & getting traction correctly. Sometimes it gets right down to lane choice, which lane is better on a particular day. According to another viewer, he claimed he was actually there, and that the left lane was better. He said the Z28 with LT1 350 won 2 out of 3 races IN THE LEFT LANE against this L79 Vette. But when the Vette was placed in the left lane, it beat the Z28, which is the footage we see here.

Rear end gearing, driver reaction time, tires, many factors can determine who wins or loses in close races among factory stock. I have owned both, a '71 LT-1 and a '67 L79 Vettes, both motors are quite different in terms of peak torque curves, and carbs. and meant to do different things. Duntov built the LT to be a high revving screamer road car to compete against the euros of the day. The L79 is more of a drag motor and has more low-end torque which is good off the line.

Mainly 400 pounds came into play. The IRS rear end on the Vette off set its smaller tires as well.

@@markr5132 IRS was never really meant to hold up to drag racing. Add decent power and kaboom

It sure is, Younger car guys give the ls a little too much credit. They really believe a worn out 4.8 or 5.3 is the only way to make power. PUky azz engines. Durable but thats about it. Had one for 20 yrs Put a 15 deg head on any GEn 1 sbc evens the playing field

More like the Vette had 3.36's I don't even think he has 3.55s watch when he shifts in to 2nd. The Vette is 500 pounds lighter 50/50 weight distribution and IRS that why its able to get a better launch even with those tiny tires. These Camaro's spin while the mid year Corvette walk away. I had a 1970 RS/SS 396/350 horse and my brothers 300hp 67 vette beat me easy while I was spinning away of a 1st gear roll on much less trying to beat him off the line.

4.56 @@markr5132

The Vette took all 3 runs, I was a little better that day

I want he left lane then.

The vet is lighter

With a 780 holley from the factory 🙌🏽

Some Conv's were ordered with hardtop only. I have a 1965 396 hardtop only car, and a few nights I came back hugging the steering wheel to try and stay as dry as a could.

Yes 70 was the 1st year you could get an automatic with a Z28. Not many were made though

@@Fred_NaughT This car was orangish-red and lurked around the streets of Friendswood, TX. Your dad's hometown?

@@johntempest267 Not the same for sure lol this was a marina or Nassua blue from Pennsylvania. I Guess those L79's were beating others allover the US !

@@Fred_NaughT I was riding shotgun in my friend's 72 Mustang (351C) which was quick. When I saw the little Chevy, I was like "let's run him!" John says "nope, not that one." It was later when I found out why. He sandbagged racing a 396 chevelle so he wouldn't scare off a 440GTX. Took both their money.

@@Fred_NaughT If true, that would have been a very rare Chevy ll. Only 6 were produced.

@quantumss I'm pretty sure it was a genuine 66 L79 because of its owner. His family was quite wealthy + were all car people.

The longer stroke makes for slower acceleration, requiring lower gears. The Camaro was topped out while the 'vette was still in it's butter zone.

the long stroke can't rev quite as high without risking damage to rods and the crank where as the corvette, which has a shorter stroke but wider bore (if i that fact about the L79 remember correctly) can rev higher and use it's gearing longer.

But also the Corvette was a fair bit lighter than the Camaro ... some 400-500 lbs. or more

Small block 65 Corvette is just under 3200lbs, the 70' Z/28 is just under 3700lbs. In terms of redline the L79 was 6000, rolled over at 5800, the LT1 is 6500 but rolls over right around 6000. There is only about a 10hp and 10lb-ft difference between them. Both of these are running about half second quicker than back in the day. The LT1 made the exact same power as the L76 327. That really surprise anyone as the two engines are nearly identical aside from the slighty longer stroke and the LT1 had a slightly milder cam, the L79 here had hydraulic cam that nearly matches the LT1's cam. The main difference is the L79 will hit valve float right around 6000, where the solid lifter cars could hit 7-7500rpm, still have figure how to make power though.

@@livewire2759 - The longer stroke makes more cubes/torque, so can pull same or stiffer gears...

Thanks for watching, John !

No sir , i wish they were laying around lol. 11:1 with 780 holley and solid lift cam all from the factory. Making 360hp imagine it with some good heads and air gap intake

Screw the air gap, give me a Victor Jr. for the LT-1!...and a pair of World Product Motown heads, please.

Chevy actually down played the H.P. It was really about 420 !!! CRAZY !!!

Ricky, they did not exede 400 horses. GM underrated most of their performance engines during the era, but usually not by that much. At 11.0 to 1 compression they're good for about 375 hp with optimal tuning. The Torque was closer to 400 ft lbs. though. A good rule of thumb when guessing the true output of an engine is to look at late 50s / early 60s numbers. In '57, the 283 achieved 1hp per cubic inch of displacement with 11.0 to 1 compression and fuel injection. The fuellie 327s got as high as 375 horses, again with 11.0 to 1 compression. Stands to reason that the LT1, with the same compression ratio, a dual plane intake and carburetor, even with more displacement, would have been about the same. Blueprinted and built with a high rise or single plane intake, they might reach 400.

My 97 z28 6speed runs low 13s with headers, gmmg exhaust, and open air intake. A lot of fun for a car I've got less than 6k into. Of course I'd love one of these gems but, I'd have to mortgage my home to get one!

It had a 350 horse 327. Don't know why its performance would be surprising.

You are so correct Sir.

matrox :+ It's the HardTop of the Convt.,Which Was Fbr.Glass? Reg.Roofline on 65 Was Slanted Sting Ray,So Less Wght.

Ed, the convertibles actually weighed more than the coupes, unless the guy took the folding soft top out before racing, but they also had more body and frame bracing for rigidity. And yes, matrox they look good from every angle.

That little vette is beautiful! Runs as good as she looks too.

If my calculations are correct, 585 cfm should be good for almost 6200 rpm in a 327. Did the L79 run a Holley? I know it was used on the LS-6 and LT-1, but before creating Rochester, GM used Carter carbs. Wouldn't that car have used a Carter carb?

The L79 came with a 585cfm Holley 4 barrel.

If you modified the Quad it would do the job. I would rather have the Holley. Much easier to work on. Change jets.

A 327 has turn almost 6200 rpm to move 585 cfm. Considering it was just an L79, which is all done at 5500-6000, I'd say that stock Holley was sized just right.

The stock holley would be in place on the L79. This pure stock class requires all equipment, casting numbers, to be correct for the engine, and they do go through tech and are checked thoroughly.

We ran polyglas Goodyears. Didn't last too long but melted easily.

on the dyno, the 2.5 pipes made 6 horses less than the 2.0 manifolds..... we were very surprised.

@@newbomb327 Surprising...I ported the daylights out of some 65 rams horns....no sotp difference unfortunately Even if they flowed more wasnt worth the guys time.FLow path is hampered internally

The vette is a lot lighter

thanks, I do my best

@@newbomb327 Are you Donny?

@@gordocarbo I am

@@newbomb327 Ah, Ok. Think I read about yours on CF. Been yrs since I logged on too many trolls. Car is dialed in

There's lots of stories about L79s outrunning the 396 Chevelles. I'd love to have either one though.

Would like to see an L84 (327-375hp) running against either one. My friend had a plain jane L84 in a 67 Malibu, 4 speed with a bench seat.

In '65, the Corvette was available with both the L84 fuelie (early production) and the L78 396 (late production). I've always wanted to see a pair of '65 vettes, one with each engine, run against each other just to demonstrate how hot that fuelie small block was.

Depends on which Horsepower 396. 325,350, 360, 375 or 425...

@@kevinjonker7792 L78 396 was 375 hp

When you subtract lash from that solid cam, the lift and duration figures are closer than they appear at first look.

If stock they have the same compression and heads, the L79 has a smaller carb 585, the LT1 has 780, and the cams. Chevy didn't make their first good SBC head until '71.

Camaro weights a lot more than the vette.

Agreed. That Vette is probably just over 3,000lbs.

Lane choice quite often has a lot to do with it too. According to another viewer who claims he was actually there, the Z28 LT1 actually beat this Vette 2 out of 3 races, in which the Z28 was in the left lane. But when the Vette had the left lane, it won, which is the footage we see here. The cars were getting better traction & launches in the left lane on this particular day.

@@howabouthetruth2157 Thanks for the info of that day !!

@@ronniefarnsworth6465 You're very welcome my friend........but the credit really goes to the other viewer. Sorry I can't remember his name, but his post is somewhere under this video. I was simply sharing what I had just learned from him. Take care!!!

@@howabouthetruth2157 Ok, always like Drag Racing fans !! : )

L88?

I think he ment L71 @@jeffspicolli593

​@@markr5132 I believe the video info calls it correctly as a L79 327 vs LT1 350. Very close match up.

The Vette is tuned extra good, a 103 trap speed is a little too good for a stock L79 Gen2, maybe if you dyno tune one, but very cool to see In my opinion the best looking cars from Detroit going at it!@@jeffspicolli593

@@jeffspicolli593 Sure was, pretty good run both awesome cars Dont know why guys gotta argue about every little thing.

Figured the vette would win. Owner has that car and driving skills dialed in pretty well. Id gladly adopt either one though that cortez silver is gorgeous in person

Camaro won 2 of 3. They showed the one where he lost.

@@SealofPerfection The Vette won all 3.

Reaction times can have a big effect on who gets to the finish line first, but it has no effect on ET. Timer doesn't start for your lane until you leave. You can sit there for five minutes and run the same ET as if you had left on the last yellow.

@@herman452 Exactly!! Leave when you want unless you just want to try and beat the guy in the other lane

+Jeff Kuebler my trick is I remove the motor/ very light

Please don't modify the classics! If all you want is a low ET, any light car will do the job. Buy some worthless pos, strip it out, drop in your favorite motor.

I think you are right...the point of this race was to showcase the two cars being very close to factory specs...in the long run that is what matters...we can always go cut up something found behind the garage somewhere,,,good comment

Why is it a joke? It makes them hotter and stickier. Proven fact. Doesn't turn them into slicks, but it helps.

@@SealofPerfection try not to get upset, I could afford cheater slicks, if you happen to know what they are

@@klartava Yes, I know what they are. I've been down the track probably a thousand times. Point is, in this class they have to run street tires.

The L79 was hydraulic lifters... the whole point of it... fast, but no need to keep adjusting solid lifters...

@@BuzzLOLOL Yes that's true but the LT1 in that 1970 Z28 had solid lifters

llhkguf iu u f SO WHAT

An L79 Corvette would have the advantage over the deuce with a better chassis/suspension for better weight transfer and traction, even with a little more weight, but with some ladder bars and good tires the Chevy II would give the 'vette a good run.

I think you are correct,Ed.

370 hp LT-1 had solid lifters

the 70 LT1 in the vette had 370hp and the camaro had 360 hp In 71 they dropped to 330 hp in the camaro.

Read the writing in the bottom left of the screen as each car pulls to the line. The Z/28 was a 350 cubic inch engine rated at 360 hp. ALL 1970 Z/28's were rated at 360 hp. The horsepower dropped to 330 hp in the 1971 model year due to the lower compression ratio in the '71 model year. The Vette was a 327 cubic inch engine rated at 350.

1970 z28's were rated at 360 horse,with a 780 vac sec holley,and solid lifters..71's were solids,same holley,but rated at 330 horse,because of the lowered 9.0 comp...even the 72 z's had solids,and a holley,but horse power was rated net,instead of gross,like in 70,71..also,no 70-72 z's were available with ac..

I know a baseball player named Mingori...any relation by chance,Steve?

mothertree Yeah hes actually my cousin or uncle, I forget which because I never got a chance to meet him. He died farely young (btw this is my new account)