Jon, another performanmce problem with the Corvette sixes had nothing to do with the carbs. The first production models were only available with a Powerglide automatic transmission- - - - -"Two speeds- - - -too low and too high!" By the time they made a manual transmission optional, all that was available was a 3 speed Muncie with a non-synchronized 1st. gear. That still made it difficult, if not impossible to keep the engine in a good RPM range to take advantage of the extra breathing capabilities of the 3-carb setup. Road racers got really good at finding 1st. gear by momentarily locking up the rear wheels with either the parking brake, or just nailing the brake pedal and yanking the shifter into first while the driveshaft wasn't turning. Transmission builders loved that technique- - - -it kept them busy repairing transmissions for people who weren't coordinated enough with the brakes and the shifter!
When the Borg-Warner T-10 4 speed with the synchronized 1st. gear came along in 1957, the 283 V8 was the standard Corvette engine.
Jerry
