I was reading an article in AutoWeek (Automotive News) sometime in the last
year that stated that the company that originally cast the
aluminum block for the 427 had done some clean up and found
the original dies for the casting of the blocks. Word was
there was a possibility they would produce more of them.

If money was no object I would drive a GT-40 not a c-3!
Steve

To answer where to put a 3rd Corvette...easy to answer. Just expand the toy box and add another bay to the garage or
expand the exsisting garage...

Done both over the years
But I am now down to only having space for one more car in the garages...

Remember price is no object...BUT space limitations and
zoning regulations do have to be dealt with I guess..lol

No way would a Ford GT 40 find its way into my garage..nice car but I could put the $150,000 to better use ...
A pair of chevies...55 & 57 maybe an original 289 Cobra
or even a Hemi Cuda ...and still have money in the bank..

Damn I better run out and buy a Lottery ticket..because
Money unfortunately is a problem...always has always will be I guess...

Bob Griffiths
5 Corvettes & a Chevelle in the garage

OK, I've been looking into this:

Here's what I found;

Back in the day, some ZL1 aluminum blocks experienced durability, porosity, and cylinder-wall-stability issues. This was not uncommon with old-school aluminum automotive engines cast using tooling basically designed for molding cast iron. Foundries and engineers were still on a learning curve when it came to aluminum, which has different gating and rising characteristics than cast iron. Gating is the process involved in filling the mold to cast the block. Rising describes the process of metal coming out or overflowing the mold, allowing gasses and other impurities to escape. Shrinkage must also be accounted for to allow additional metal to flow back into the mold after gasses and other impurities are removed. Problems with these processes can create porosity near the top of the mold (which on the ZL1 is actually the bottom of the block near the oil-pan area, as the block is poured with the deck facing down).

The original ZL1 blocks (identified by screw-in NPT-thread freeze plugs and iron main-bearing caps with straight bolts) were cast in the late '60s and '70s at Winters foundry (its trademark was the classic snowflake symbol). Running aluminum blocks without ethylene glycol-based coolant or with worn-out coolant exacerbates any porosity tendencies, allowing electrolysis to start eating through pinholes at the bottom of the water jacket until it erodes all the way through to the cylinder liner. Because of the potential porosity problem combined with the age of the original castings, it is strongly recommended that old-style blocks be leak-tested and pressure-checked before use. Note too, that the original liners were much thinner than present production units and tended to move around, resulting in high cylinder leakdown rates.

When Winters decided to get out of the sand-casting business in the late '80s, GM did an inventory check and found the original ZL1 tooling tucked away in a back room, intact and in perfect shape! GM decided to bring the ZL1 block back, but with enhancements. The "new production" ZL1 blocks can be identified by screw-in AN-style water-jacket core plugs sealed by O-rings and billet-steel main-bearing caps with splayed outer bolt-holes.

The new foundry uses much-improved casting and pouring technology, minimizing quality-control and porosity problems. The heat-treating is more consistent, the blocks are more stable with less core-shift, and machining is done on CNC-equipment using 21st century standards and technology. There may still be some visible pepper porosity (little specs of aluminum voids formed by escaping gases) in the oil-pan area, but no leakage has been reported. For professional race use, it is still recommended that the block be seasoned to enhance cylinder-wall stability.

Core wall thickness was increased throughout. The cylinder-head decks are now 0.750 inch thick. Improvements were made in the water jacket, late-model production roller-cam lifter-boss retention provisions were added to the valley, and upgraded cylinder liners were specified. The latest upgrade scheduled for blocks produced in '04 is more support around the cylinder liners and even thicker liners that can be bored to 4.350 inches (blocks are delivered at 4.24 inches). These new, thick liners can be visibly identified by checking the register of the liner in the top of the deck. The original liners had almost 0.100 inch of aluminum between each pair; the new liners almost kiss each other.

According to GM sources, an analysis of the current tooling indicates it should be good for another 300-400 blocks before any more major work is required--about six to eight more years at current sales rates. And don't forget that an aluminum big-block will still give up 10-40 hp to an iron one, though it weighs about half as much.

Only 300 - 400 more?

I would think we at C3VR could buy up that many...

Think they would discount the $6,250.00 price tag?