It looks like i'm ready to do my engine swap at a good time as far as the exchange rate £/$ at the moment,so ive been looking on the Scoggin site and a few others.Ive got it in my mind to use a ZZ4 with HSR in my 85 Transam but now I see there are different version of the ZZ4.Some say use different heads,some say the cam is rubbish.
Please someone please offer me the definitive best engine for my car.Im not really interested in 1/4mile times as the car is used for fast cruising around europe and general fast road use.Obviously i want good acceleration too.
Im fitting a T56 at the same time and my gears are 3;27s
PM

 

I believe you would be ok with the heads that come with the zz4 if you want to stick with the stealth ram, but if you go with a vortec style head, like the fastburns, the stealth ram will not fit. Only the SDPC vortec intake manifold or MRIII will work with a vortec style head. Put in a larger cam than the stock ZZ4 cam and stick with the stealth ram, and you should be good to go with that T56. It will be a decent motor with plenty of power for what you want. Might want a gear ratio like 3.73 at the least for that t56. Do some suspension mods like SFCs, lower control arms with relocating brackets, torque arm, new bushings, and you should have a nice ride. Now that is just my opinion. If you do a search you will find tons of info b/c this has been covered before. I am sure others will help you out with what size cam would be good for what you want out of the motor. good luck

 

The ZZ4 is nice, the Fast Burn 385 may be a little nicer, and the knock-off ZZ430s that you can get through SD are really nice. Now, GM has come out with a 383/425 that you might want to take a look at. Tough choice.

 

Thanks for your replies
In my own mind I was prefering the ZZ4 with a different cam.This really is because the ZZ4 is available off the shelf here in the UK,so at least there are some come backs should anything be wrong.
So taking that,what cam has everyone had success with.on the ZZ4.Is it a GM or is it an aftermarket.I dont want the sort of cam that gives me a rough idle and needs loads of revs to make it work

Thanks again
John

 

The LT4 hot cam may be a good choice then b/c it should not be too much for those zz4 heads and it is plenty fine for a daily driver. No problems with vacuum or idle quality. Mine idles nicely. You can find similar cams though through other companies like comp cams. They may be cheaper too!

 

Is it just called an LT4Hot cam or should I order it by part#

thanks
John

 

The Stealth Ram manifold is not compatable with a Vortec/ Fastburn head. the bolt pattern and port alignment is different.

You could easily improve the stock ZZ4 aluminum heads with some home porting and port matching to the stealth ram manifold.

The stock ZZ4 heads have lots of potential in ported form.

I'd try the stock ZZ4 cam first, with the ported ZZ4 heads and a stealth ram manifold and some tuning.
You could even have the heads shaved a bit to snug up the compression ratio a bit.
The horsepower will be right around 390/400 at the crank and tons of torque.

I think you'd like that combination overall for your car.

 

This would seem to be a great option for me but Salee Chev wont send outside of the USA
Are there any other places that you know of who will ship to the UK?

Option 1 (385 HP): A very popular combination that’s perfect for street. It puts out 385 HP / 410 lbs of torque. The power gain comes from custom ported ZZ4 cylinder heads and match ported intake manifold.
Requires 750-CFM carb and headers _ _ _ _ P/N SCZZ4-1

PM

 

I just checked the gmpartsdirect.com site, but I can't tell if they ship to the U.K. or not. You might want to check them out. Great prices but they gouge on the shipping.

What is it with you guys drinking your beer warm?

 

you done want to believe everything you hear about the UK.Its true some of the finest real beer is drunk at room temperature but you must realise that alot of the lagers (like Bud) are just full of chemicals and not brewed in the traditional way.
Personally I dont like "real"beer and lager is the most popular in the UK

PM

 

I work with someone that almost went ballistic when I asked him the same question. The funny thing is, he said almost the same thing you did. "We don't drink it warm, we drink it at room temperature." Wasn't it last summer when it hit a 100 degrees over there? Doesn't that qualify as warm beer?

Anyway, you might want to try gmpartsdirect.com. I'm told SD doesn't charge as much for shipping.

 

2 yrs ago when i got my motor from SDPC it was $175 i believe for shipping charges. They really like it if you can have a business address too. I think it might have been more money if it came to my house. I wouldn't even know what it would be to ship over seas.

 

Thanks guys.
PM

 

SDPC is offering FREEE shipping on all orders including engines if ordered before the end of the year. They will only ship to a shipping terminal though. I as told this by a tech rep last week when I ask about the ZZ4 short block myself

 

That warm beer thing - the real reason is because their fridges have Lucas electrics.

 

Good one, George!

 

Yes thank you for taking the p--s out a lonely Brit,but back to the question at hand.
I can get a ZZ4 here in the UK,no problem.As I am fitting the HSR,obviously i need to take off the standard ZZ4 intake manifold.Therefore it wouldnt be a big deal to slot in the HotCam discussed earlier in this thread.I really do not want to remove the heads to port them,so do you guys in the know think its a worthwhile job to put in the hotcam.Will I make some good gains with it even without porting the heads.
Remember i'm not a 1/4 mile racer,i'm interested in having a fast accelerating,high speed cruising street car,hopefully with reasonable fuel economy.
What do you think?
thanks

PM

 

It would be fine! Obviously you wouldn't get as much of a gain if you were to port the heads, but you are still going to have a decent sized cam with the large intake that the stealthram is. I am sure with a large intake like the HSR, you could always get more out of it with a good head porting. Just remember this, make a decision on something and do it right the first time, other wise you will kick yourself in the *** if you don't.

 

Okay, Power, I'm real sorry about that, especially now that I know you are a "lonely Brit."

Alrighty, then, back to the question at hand. I've lost track of where you are with this buildup, so let me try this:

The ZZ4 is a nice engine, rated at 355 horsepower. Add the Fast Burn heads and Chevy claims another 30 horses on top of that (hence the name Fast Burn 385). Add the HOT cam and the 1.6 rockers and GM claims 430 horses (the ZZ430).

On the subject of the intake, I checked the TPIS web site, and they have a MiniRamIII (MRIII) that is compatible with the Fast Burn heads, if I recall correctly. You might want to check out that MiniRam. Do a search on this board and see what comes up. There is some discussion on this subject.

I don't remember what kind of trans and rear your car has, but be prepared to beef a 700R4 and convert to a 9 bolt, if you haven't already.

 

Powermite: Very sharp lookin' Bird.


What about using the GM Ramjet 350 EFI intake manifold.
Its a bolt on to Vortec/ Fastburn heads.

Its available seperately now from GM Performance parts.

 

Hey, F-Bird88,

Great idea! I noticed that the GMPP catalog says the FI can be used on any carbureted engine, 1978 or older. Does the FI unit retain all smog equipment?

 

Nah the ram jet is sooo ugly.
Ive decided to go for ZZ4 with hotcam and HSR.

Thanks to you all for your help and suggestions

PM

 

Good choice. By the time you are done with that Firebird, it is going to be an incredible babe-magnet and you will no longer be some lonely, warm-beer-drinking Brit. Good luck.

 

Parry,
when i said lonely i meant in the sense that there arent many Brits on this site.
Bloody married with two kids !!!!!

PM

 

that is the best interior I've seen in a 3rd gen.
Come to think of it, in my honest opinion, thats the NICEST looking 3rd gen I've ever seen.
Best. Bird. EVER.

 

Given that you have a great looking Firebird, you must have a real understanding wife. Hmmm. Okay, forget what I said about the babe-magnet. I wouldn't want Mrs. Warm-beer-drinker getting mad at me!

 

Thanks JLP
The only part of the car which wasnt up to the standard i would like was the engine bay.That will all be put right in the next few weeks though
Thanks for your kind comments,(that doesnt include you Parry.!)LOL
PM

 

Okay, okay, let's see if I can make up for that. Hey, are you the guy that machined those great looking aluminum parts that we see in your firebird? JLP is right, that is a great looking interior. I'm pretty sure I saw these pictures before, and everybody was drooling over those machined aluminum items! You really should offer those items to others on this board.

 

Yes that's me Parry

cheers

PM

 

If I am not mistaken, the Fast Burn heads come with both vortec and standard intake bolt patterns. I bought a set new from SCDP about 2 years ago and they are drilled and tapped for both intake manifolds.

 

Typical though Parry,I took hours and hours to make that centre console plate and now ive got to modify it to suit the T56 stick shift

 

hey what happened to your drivers side door handle?!

 

When i took that photo the door handles hadnt returned from the trimmers.They are now covered in the same gray leather
PM

 

You have your own machine shop?!?! We are still waiting for you to make those parts available to everybody else on this board!

 

Oh I didnt realise anybody liked them.
PM

 

Right. Now that you know, put me down for a complete set.