You have to love to drive it!

[1project2many]

Comparing Vette to truck might not be appropriate. Vette is more aerodynamic and possibly lighter. What's the truck's expected finished weight? What kind of 0-60 and / or 0 - 1/4 mile time would make you feel happy? What does the engine torque curve look like? Try to match peak torque rpm to highway cruise speed, use online simulators to check desired 0-60 and 1/4 mile times. 3.42 seems low with .57 OD available. 3.9 to 4.1 is direction I'd tend toward.

Oh, yeah, quit fooling with gear ratios and charge your battery!

[OrrieG]

The bonneville guys have an online calculator that uses weight, drag coefficeint and frontal area to calculate hp required to get to a certain mph. Don't have time to look for it but I used it with the one you have to see what it would take to get my 64 Chevelle to 160+. That takes the Corvette to truck difference out of the equation.

[gearhead2069]

Originally Posted by 1project2many

Comparing Vette to truck might not be appropriate. Vette is more aerodynamic and possibly lighter. What's the truck's expected finished weight? What kind of 0-60 and / or 0 - 1/4 mile time would make you feel happy? What does the engine torque curve look like? Try to match peak torque rpm to highway cruise speed, use online simulators to check desired 0-60 and 1/4 mile times. 3.42 seems low with .57 OD available. 3.9 to 4.1 is direction I'd tend toward.

Oh, yeah, quit fooling with gear ratios and charge your battery!

I was looking up some figures as the build I am working on is only slightly similar and I was wanting to see the possible weight differences for both handling and for fuel mileage as I want to make mine a daily. The stock weight of the 3100 was 3175 lbs curb weight. A 90's model c4 was 3317 lbs curb weight (using the c4 because this is the suspension I am using- like I said, only slightly similar).

This is where it gets fun. The engine that came in the 3100 stock was the 216. Last I looked for the information I think that engine came in at over 675 lbs whereas the LS3 I am wanting to use, seeing that it will be an aluminum block, was in the 400s. You are probably going to go with a transmission with an aluminum case to replace the cast iron one that originally came with the truck and you are dropping the heavy cast front and rear suspension that came with the truck to go with lighter parts there as well.

I realize that aerodynamics are going to come into play in a pretty major way but I'll be really excited to see what the truck weighs when it's finished. I think that will be the first thing I do when I get the build I'm working on finished is take it to the local scrap yard and use their scale. Surly the weight difference could help to make up for the deficits in aerodynamics.

I don't know though, I'm not an engineer so I'm only going off estimations in my head. Maybe someone else with a better knowledge could make up for any faulty thinking.