Hi all, i recently bought a 1980 corvette which i had been searching for a while. My goal was to buy a black on black 4 speed car which was the same car i took my wife to our high school prom way back in 1983. I found one that was in fantastic condition cosmetically, but need some feedback on the motor condition.
it's an L-48 350 that is bone stock with exception of stainless steel headers and side pipes, Weiand street avenger aluminum intake, Holley 600cfm double pumper with mechanical secondaries and a DUI distributor (other dress up goodies, but they're just for looks).
This past weekend, i did a compression check and leakdown test. I scoured the forums to ensure i was doing it correctly since i hadnt done these types of things since my days back in high school.
What i ended up with was:
Compression test - 5 cylinders with 125psi, 2 with 120psi and 1 at 135 psi.
Leak down test ranged between 12-20%. All test done dry, no wet test.
What drove me to this was a slight smoking from the exhaust followed by when I did an oil change and dumped just under 4 quarts of oil and refilled with 5, that made me think i was either leaking or burning. I've also attached pictures of the plugs i pulled while doing this. I replaced them with new ones since they were out.
What i'm thinking is since the compression is on the low side and it's the original motor with 105,000 miles on it, that i'm not far off before a new one will be needed.
I would appreciate feedback. Let me know if i'm off base or what.
