What do you guys think about the ZZ4 Crate motor ?

Is it reliable and quick as GM advertise in the Performance Parts Catalog.., low 12 sec. in the quarter mile ?

What about the hydraulic roller camshaft is it good
as the old hydraulic camshaft or better ?

I just need more feedback before i make my order for this
Crate motor.

Thank you all

 

2 words.........Great Motors

 

It's one of the best bang for the bucks crates out there. Prices seem to have jumped steadily as of late, but for now it's still relatively affordable.

Will

 

I can't see how a stock ZZ4 is going to get you low 12s though. It's basically a stock C4 Corvette L98 with a slightly different cam. I would expect a stock ZZ4 to be more or less a high 13 second motor.

 

JMO, but I tend to think that if you are not doing anything w/ crazy RPM and/or power adder, the bottom end is over built and you could do more for less money with another combo.

 

A guy I work with has one in his car. Great motor, though you won't see low 12's with it. He is swapping the cam an debating on either going with AFRs or porting the zz4 heads. Regardless, it's a nice engine, already has the hydraulic roller setup, and is capable of quite a bit of streetable hp with the right cam/heads combo

 

I allready got the 195cc AFR Head and your friend must go with the AFR head...
If i put my AFR head on top of the ZZ4 i think i will gain about 20 to 30 more HP.

 

If you already have heads, why waste money on a crate motor? Buy a short block. I think GMPP sells a ZZ4 short block assembly.

 

They do, as well as HT383 and LO5 shortblocks...

 

What does the L05 short block usually run?

 

Because the price is to good to be ignore !!!
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Because the price is to good to be ignore

 

You got a realy nice fast Iroc-Z

 

I just broke my crankshaft in my 383 now i need something reliable and strong i don't thrust aftermarket
cast crankshaft sometime made in china.
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How about the camshaft do you think is to mild ?

Thanks for the info.

 

Remember, the ZZ4 aluminum heads are only 58cc. If you AFRs are over 64cc, you will lose quite a bit of compression. In that case, you are better off looking at the HT383 shortblock since you need larger chambers to keep the compression ratio reasonable.

BTW, the ZZ4 is not just C4 L98 with a slightly larger cam. The ZZ4 also has a forged crank and 4 bolt mains. The C4 L98's bottom end is the same as all L98s (cast crank with 2 bolt mains). But the heads are basically the same.

My buddy started with a ZZ4 in his F-body. And before he swapped the cam (but switched to the Miniram) he ran low 13s/high 12s.

 

I ran a zz3 in the mid ninety's, and ran 12.80 in my vette. I sprayed it with a 150 shot for a best et of 11.70. Very reliable package. No regrets. I have stepped it up since then, but would buy another one in a minute.

 

I essentially built my own ZZ3/ZZ4 (I started it years ago before there were many cranks for 1 piece rear main motors) and built a very well assembled version. Here's what I put in it (and yes, the ZZ4 cost less than what I did), and what I found on the dyno.

KB 12cc dished pistons
Lunati Street Race rods
ZZ3 forged crank
Speed Pro file fit plasma moly rings
Clevite bearings
Melling M55HV oil pump
Milodon steel oil pump driveshaft
Milodon splayed main caps
GMPP billet front main cap (2 bolt)
ARP studs
ZZ3 heads
Manley Race Flo (undercut) valves
ARP 7/16 studs
Comp Pro Magnum roller rockers (1.52)
Comp pushrods
Comp locks, retainers, guideplates
Comp "305" cam (220/230 .510/.510 on a 114) roller
K-motion K-750 valve springs (130 lbs on seat, 380 lbs open)
Holley Stealth Ram
52mm TB
Underdrive pulleys
Fluidamper Street Damper
24 lb injectors
MSD "dual connector" Pro Billet distributor
SLP 1 3/4 headers for dual cats (straight stainless steel pipes in place of cats)
SLP "2 on the left" cat back
It has power steering and an alt, but no smog pump or AC (bypass pulleys)

It was 0 decked, torque plate honed, line bored, balanced, we installed deck plugs to plug the large core holes in the deck, the heads were skim cut, a valve job was done (multi angle) the rings were file fit, valve springs were shimmed to the right installed height, and I think that's it.

It made 299 hp/338 ft lbs on a Dynojet through a T56 and a 3.73 gear recently. That dyno shop said their dyno reads low (20-30 hp) compared to the other local dynojets. I don't know if that's true, but I know we ran the car until the shift light came on at 6,400 rpm and the dyno sheet stops at 5,600. So, if their tach pick up is off that far, that might account for 20-30 hp.

Either way, it's really just a "blueprinted" (I almost hate to use that term) ZZ3/ZZ4 with a bit more cam in it. If I were doing it again, I'd use a flat top and an AFR (or similar) head. Instead, I'm pulling these heads, headers and exhaust and going to long tubes and "dumps" (this is a road race/track car being built for a racing series, it's gutted, etc) and I'm going to swap to the TFS 305 heads to keep the compression and bump airflow to about 248 @ .600. We're also going for a touch more cam (either 330/336 or 336/340-ish) when I pull it apart. And, I'm going to have to go to a larger injector more than likely.

Bang for the buck, it's still a great crate motor, but I might buy the shortblock and look at the TFS heads and a bit more cam if I were going to do it that way. However, this all depends on what you want out of the package and what your goals are. You could do a lot worse.

I might also look at the 330 hp 350 with Vortec heads on it and just add a bit more cam. They are iron heads, but they outflow the ZZ3/ZZ4 heads. And, that engine costs a reasonable amount less.