yaj15

iTrader: (3)

Hey guys,

I was looking online at some '82 Indy pace cars. I have heard that the pace cars that were actually used in the race didn't have one of the 305 engine options for the Z28 that was available to the public?

Does anyone know what the specs are on the cars that were used to pace the Indy 500 race?

KuroNeko

From what i know, they used the corvette 350 CFI engine

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Correct. The "official" race duty cars had aluminum 350s. The 1982 Pace Car Media Kit states the engine was a fuel injected 350 "producing in excess of 250 horsepower."

The Media Kit lists all of the engine specs. Google for it ...

yaj15

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the information. I thought they had installed 350's in the actual pace cars. Seems kind of strange they used an aluminum block for an engine that was only making a little more power than a stock L98.

scottmoyer

They did use a 350 in the actual pace cars. Also, the L98 wasn't around yet in 82.

Read This last paragraph.

steves

Are there any pictures of the actual pace cars. It be interesting to see some under hood shots.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Ask and ye shall receive! Here's a YouTube of the actual pace car from the museum that has great close ups of the engine, interior and exterior:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKFVsK6-Hs8

Love those valve covers ...

NCGuy68

Excellent video Randy. Although I've seen it before, its still worth another look.

Note that the 1982 Camaro was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year.

Its my understanding that the motor in the actual pace car was hand assembled by GM staffers and held to very close tolerances (Blue-Printed). GM wanted no screw-ups because it was expected to maintaine a reliable 120 MPH during its pace duties.

2007xl50

I heard this before, but forgot all about it-cool info for sure. I would love to drive a 3rd gen at 120mph for awhile.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

I can still remember how badass I thought that aluminum 350 was back then.

steves

I wonder what it would cost/take to build an exact replica of that car. I think it would be cool crusing around in a Z28 with an all aluminum cross fire small-block. The other thing I noticed was how high it sits compared to a standard car. I wonder if it was the springs, the taller tires or the lighter motor that made that car sit so high.

scottmoyer

It was the tires. My father recently put new tires on his and opted to go with the same size tire as the official car. It gave his car a new stance also due to the size difference.

Atilla the Fun

Not really. The real pacers used 245/60R15s. that are only 26.6" diameter, while the production Z28 used 215/65R15s, which are 26.0". They only gained 0.30" of sidewall height. The aluminum block saved a good hundred pounds, contributing at least as much as the tires. Plus there was no A/C, saving more weight.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

I had to chuckle at the lack of smog stuff on that motor as I was watching the video. I was thinking to myself how neat it might be to get some of those finned value covers -- until I realized that you can't actually see the valve covers on the regular production cars....

91phoenix

iTrader: (5)

They look like corvette finned valve covers with a z28 log where they normally said corvette or had the crossed flags logo.

navy02ws6

Yep. Standard on all 1978-80 Corvettes with the optional L82 engine, then standard on all 1981-82 Corvettes. Nothing special, but they look a lot better than the stamped steel ones.