Thanks for the update. I will have a 5 speed eventually and my engine is still on the engine stand but I keep planning. Have a great Thanksgiving. Mark. I have a 4.11, 3.70 and 3.36 rear axle so I am gathering first hand info as to which I should install.

Sorry for not getting back to you, I just don't seem to notice my messages.

The car is used quite a bit on the freeway at 75+ mph and the overdrive is great for that, but being a 327/300, there is not enough torque available below 2500rpm for much acceleration. The 700R4 is set to downshift to third when moderate acceleration is needed but the shifts are not consistent. In the next few months I'll be installing a 4L60E for better shift control.

With the kind of power you have I can't think of any downside to a four speed automatic, and the 3.36 would be perfect. With the 2.80 low gear, even my little 300HP will come away from a red light in a hurry. You will be spinning the tires with moderate throttle.

Dave, I don't know the Southern California guys. I worked Northern California.
I will call a couple guys I know in Southern California and see if they have a go to guy for you.
Mark

Hey Mark? I think that's your name , I deleted all my messages so couldn't check, I don't think I am going to be able to fix the car before I head up to the NCRS meet next Friday, just wondered if you know anybody north of LA that might be the guy to figure it out. I would love to get it sorted out before I get home because I don't really have anybody who is that great at working on these cars up there. I'm sure there is someone but I haven't found him yet.

Thanks,

Dave 250-920-6380

Im Corvette Joe from reno. I like the pic of your 66/65 conv with rally wheels . Im building a 66 conv with a zz427 , waiting on body shop to finish the paint job. You can see it on youtube, search: corvette joe 1966. If ya ever get to reno let me know. Thanks

Westlotorn,
You're timing is amazing! When I was searching for reviews of the Titan ICS gasket I ran across quite a few references to Cometic gaskets not sealing water well, especially on engines that didn't have freshly milled surfaces. But it also seemed like this was a more general MLS issue also - very intolerant of surface issues of any kind?
After reading that and some reviews of the Titans, I decided that I didn't really need the overkill of the Titans and that the Fel Pro MLS was going to be a more appropriate gasket.
The Titan reviews were mostly from Mitsu guys running big boost (500-800 hp!). The Titan ICS appears to be VERY good, but also extremely unforgiving of installation errors. They have a very specific procedure that involves installing the gaskets without any dressing, torquing the heads, starting the engine and running it at operating temp for a specific period of time with NO stress on the motor, then allowing it to fully cool down and backing off and retorquing each stud/bolt in sequence. If you did everything perfectly they were bullet proof, if not they leaked like crazy.
Looks like the only Permatorque MLS in the .040 area is FEL-7733PT2, .039 and 4.125. I wish they had something closer to 4.060. This is what sent me toward Cometic and Titan in the first place. I can live with 4.125 though, esp at .039.
Do you have any idea how much installing the 097 cam retarded 4 degrees will increase DCR? That gasket will put me around 11.55 SCR. I may be pushing the limits of 91 octane.
Unfortunately my build caught a bad case of the slows. New baby plus 5 yr old equals very little time for dad in the garage! I'm determined to get at least 4 hours in this weekend though! No more burning through a project in a weekend for a long while to come!
Thank you for the Cometic info and for all of your help with this rebuild! I'll send you a copy of the dyno sheet when "Stage 1" is finally back together!

DT