OK, I am putting a ZZ4 shortblock in with a modified TPI and a T56 behind it.

My questions are:

what do I have to do to the ZZ4 before I bolt my heads, intake and trans to it?

does it need to be balanced?

What harmonic damper do you guys suggest?

 

Through Scoggin-Dickey, the zz4 short block is $1900. Balanced and blueprinted it is $2400. I do not know what the going rate is for engine work but those are the two different short blocks that they offer. Call them up and see what they have to say. Maybe someone on here has had experience with these short blocks before. good luck

 

Can someone answer my question?

Just need to know if the engine is balanced or not. I do not need it blueprinted.

 

I just told you! From what they say in the magazine the cheaper one is not blueprinted! The one for $2400 is! Call them instead of "waiting" for someone who knows what they are talking about. Here ya go: 1-800-456-0211 for Scoggin-Dickey. They will most likely have the best price around.

 

I'm sure it's "balanced", to the extent that the factory balances them... they weigh rods as they come out of machining, and sort them; when they get a box full of 8, they match a crank and build a motor with them. They don't "balance" them the way we do, where we take all the rods and grind them until they all weigh the same.

Harmonic balancer will depend on what you're doing with it. If it's going in practically any street car, a new stock type balancer will be fine. A Fluidamper or other such would of course be better, but probably not a requirement. A TPI even with virtually any degree of modification, as long as it retains the long runners, will protect the engine from ever stressing the damper.