By Timothy Vanliefde
Don’t let the looks fool you - this ‘69 Corvette L88 packs 750 horsepower and achieves lightning fast quarter mile times on drag strip
As one of the most iconic muscle car, the Chevrolet Corvette has been desired by many cars enthusiasts. The iconic sports car has been around for quite a long time, with new models still being released. With the latest model celebrating its 70-year anniversary, it’s clear that Chevrolet is nowhere near stopping the production of new Corvette models.
The ‘69 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L88 is no ordinary big-block V8-powered classic car. Though the car in the video might seem like it’s a stock at first sight, it has been modified for drag racing. This generation of Corvettes is well-known for its use in drag racing, which the guys at Horsepower Depot intended to use it for. With their build focussed for quarter mile times, it packs plenty of horses, which they can barely keep on the ground.
Testing The 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L88 On The Dyno
With the release of the L88 Corvette, Chevrolet had achieved excellence in the 1960s in terms of engineering capabilities. While keeping a stock-looking appearance, it might seem just an ordinary sports car, which is far from true. Initially released in 1967, the first line of the L88 engine was introduced as an optional trim. Officially, the 427 cubic-inch V8 engine was only rated at 435 horsepower, which has been proven to be an underestimation. Most dyno tests even resulted in around 550 horsepower, a far more realistic number to what they claimed.
Though the stock car packs enough horsepower for the mid-to-high 11-second range on the quarter-mile, the team at Horsepower Depot were aiming for more. With many hours of tuning and testing, the team managed to reach 750 horsepower on the dyno. In a previous video, the guys at Horsepower Depot even had parts flying off the car, while reaching 737 horsepower. Since then, they’ve prepared the car for some quarter mile test runs.
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Corvette L88 Burning Rubber On The Quarter Mile Drag Strip
When Chevrolet initially released the big-block Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L88, they had every intention for it to hit the drag strip. The team at Horsepower Depot made the perfect choice of a classic car that’s made to burn rubber at the track. Thanks to hard labor, they managed to optimize this beast into a great contestant.
During the first run, they couldn’t even keep the front wheels down. It even had so much power that it sent the trim ring flying and ripped the valve stem right out of the tire. And since they left the spare wheels and tires at the shop, the car was stranded. Eventually, after putting on some spare slicks and recharging the battery, the team of Horsepower Depot was ready for another pass. And after a driver swap, they achieved a whopping 9.17-seconds, reaching no loss than 148 mph. The driver even used the parachute to slow down faster. Just after opening the parachute, he felt so much force that he feared to suffer from a whiplash. Though they might be able to achieve better results on the drag strip, they called it a day.
Parking Their ‘69 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Back In The Garage
With the black 1969 Corvette L88 parked in the garage, it’s time to look back at what they’ve learned. To the team of Horsepower Depot, it was a rather bad day, given the incident with the tires. But to them, it was better to have such incidents while doing test runs rather than during a race. If this situation had occurred during a race, they might have ended up a lot worse.
Looking back at how the day had been, they were quite satisfied with how the parachute worked out. It helped a great deal with slowing down without ripping the back of the car off. Furthermore, the parachute was so good at slowing down the car that the brakes weren’t even necessary. Using the parachutes isn’t going to be necessary every time, but it’s good to know that it does the job without ripping the car to pieces.
Another lesson they’ve learned on the drag strip that day is that they need to adjust the front suspension to prevent the wheels from gaining some air. Most spectators will be excited seeing the car pulling a wheelie on the drag strip, but for the drivers it’s not desired. Experienced drag racers prefer to stay with all four wheels on the ground for many reasons, with preventing serious damage when slamming back to the ground being one of those.
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The Corvette Appears To Be Stock But Packs Several Subtle Upgrades
The unassuming enthusiast would never fully grasp the power of the 1969 Corvette Stingray L88 with just a glance at its exterior. Especially when left in its stock-look, one might think it’s just an ordinary classic sports car. It wouldn’t take too long for a true knower to see the subtle changes that have been made. That makes it a true sleeper.
Inside the ‘69 Corvette, the standard C3-style interior was kept original, with its red finish, and upgraded with some crucial drag racing parts. Most importantly, an eight-point roll cage has been installed for maximum safety in case something goes wrong. Given the car's tendency to pull a wheelie, it’s no luxury feature. By installing a Holley display and a massive tachometer, the team at Horsepower Depot can improve their shift timing.
On the exterior, the first big difference that you can’t look past is the parachute attached to the back of the car. As a feature that won’t improve performance, it’s definitely worth attaching for drag races. Furthermore, the NHRA and IHRA even require race cars that go above 150 mph to have a parachute, which the 1969 Corvette Stingray L88 easily surpassed. Some other aspects that make the stock-looking drag race car so powerful are its 12-bolt rear unit, hardy output shafts and axles, and its 4.10 rear end gears. They also maintained the original suspension, combined with the trailing arms and standard transverse leaf springs.
Prepping The Corvette L88 For The FAST Series Drag Racing
The team at Horsepower Depot are prepping their classic cars to compete in the Factory Appearing and Stock Tires (FAST) series. That’s why they do their best to maintain the factory look while finding the optimal setup for their black 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L88. The series only allow internal modifications and safety enhancements, such as the parachute and eight-point roll cage, while keeping the car’s factory look and using stock tires.
It’s clear that with just a few more adjustments, the team at Horsepower Depot will be able to get the most of the ‘69 Corvette L88. By optimizing the car’s suspension, it will be less prone to pulling a wheelie. And once they put the perfect pair of tires under the 1969 Corvette L88, it will be ready to take on the FAST series.
