Richmond 6-Speed
As with the blower, the transmission was one of the very first 6-speeds released by Richmond. It necessitated removal of the factory welded center frame crossmember, and replacing it with a new, removable unit fabricated from 2" x 3" steel tubing. Shifter mounting was designed to place the shifter as low as possible in the console, and in stock location.
ALUMINUM BIG BLOCK, SUPERCHARGED AND FUEL INJECTED
This is perhaps the only custom C3 Corvette in the known universe without an LS series engine swap...
479 C.I. Merlin
The World Products' MERLIN LITE aluminum block has proven to be a vast improvement. Nearly 200 Lbs. lighter than the original cast iron 427, this all aluminum engine features 4.500" cylinder bores with a 3.76" stroke - (stock stroke for a 427) - forged crankshaft mated to a lightweight Fidanza aluminum flywheel.
Fuel Injection
Changing from carburetors to fuel injection required installing a high pressure fuel system, mounting (8) 42 lb. injectors in the upper plenum, and adding sensors for intake charge temperature, throttle position and manifold absolute pressure. The carbs were converted to throttle bodies by gutting them and blocking off the fuel bowls with carbon fiber plates. A divider was added inside the plenum to enhance fuel dispersion. The system is programmed to operate in "speed-density" mode by a Holley "Commander 950" computer mounted behind the passenger-side of the dash.
Due to the age of the electronics, I have to maintain an air-gapped laptop running a Windows XP operating system to tune it, since that's the latest computer language it understands.
