I'm finally gonna swap my 305 for a ZZ4. My body shop guy managed to kill my motor. While driving my car to the carwash(he claims) he maneged to hit the oil filter against something, thus damaging the oil cooler. The car lost all the oil and when I came to pick it up it was making all kinds of noise. He put the car together and a few days later the engine was making a noise that leads me to beleive its a connecting rod. I could be wrong.
Anyway the guy agreed to pay me the going rate for a rebuilt engine job/labor. I'm gonna use that with my own cash to go for a ZZ4 and some AFR heads.

I'm planning to get the ZZ4 short block w/LT4 hot cam and AFR 190cc heads.
My question are
1) Is that a good combo? Considering my TPI set-up is not stock(see my sig)
2) Out of the 3 street legal SBC heads which one should I choose? 180cc,190cc or 195cc?
3) The AFRs have a 68cc chamber and if I'm correct the stock heads have 58cc, so my compression ratio should drop, correct?
Would that be OK, performance wice, or should I use thinner head gaskets? Part number?
Any help and/or alternative combos are greatly appreciated. I do need to keep it sniffer legal.
Thanks in advance.
Mike:

 

hmmm, lm not sure theres any way you could get around emissions with a ZZ4 tucked under the hood, l dunno much about emissions in NY but in illinois, l don't think it would pass. check with your local sniffer garage and see if theres any way you can obtain an emissions exemption waiver.

 

I'm pretty sure it'll pass emissions. I did some research. Afterall, I'm not using the ZZ4 Longblock heads.
I think I have a good combo. I'm just trying to get some more opinions before I spend the loot.
Any takers?

 

you could be right, like l said, l don't know much about the NY area emissions, but have you ever had the car tested for emissions before? you could probably look at the results of the last test, that way you could get an idea of how much you might need to pass by, and atleast tell what you have to shoot for.

lll tell ya, about a year ago we had to get a 71 monte carlo with a 10.5/1 compression 468 bbc to pass as a 71 monte carlo with a 350 and a 2bbl. and you might think that it didn't pass, and it didn't but it wasn't too far off. It missed passing by only 20 hydrocarbons, and it passed under the NOx category. obviously the emissions are far more leniant from that long ago, as compared to now, but maybe you do have a chance of passing.

I just recently took my stock 1990 IROC-Z in for emissions before l sold it. It passed, but l compared the camaro's sheet, to the monte carlo's sheet, and here in illinois, they are far more strict on newer cars (obviously) than older cars. this is just an estimation, but l think they allowed as many as 900 hydrocarbons for the 71 , and for the 90 l think they only allowed as many as 400.

 

In NY its not a problem for me. If your car fails you can always find a mechanic that will pass you for an extra $50. My car is registered in PA and those guys are ****. Although I found a guy in Philly that will squeeze me by if all else fails. I just wanna keep the car legal for myself, resale value and other reasons. If I didn't care about emissions I would have gone a completelly different route. Propably with a carbed 383. It would have been cheaper for sure.
But I kinda like the TPI set-up, in all its incarnations.

 

1. Yes it is an excellent combo.

2. 195cc have the best velocity & flow.

3. L98 cast iron heads are 72cc & produce 9.8:1 compression. AFRs w/ 68cc & .029" thick gasket would be around 10:1. That combo could use a little more valve lift. I would go with 1.6 rockers & the Hot cam or a Crane HR296 cam & 1.5 rockers.

 

L98 cast iron heads are 64cc, CR 9.3:1 with steel shim gasket; aluminum (like ZZ4 long block) are 58cc, close to 10:1 CR.

Buddy here has a ZZ3 TPI setup, Bigmouth, external EGR feed tube (like Vette), TPIS runners, ported plenum, AFPR, CNC ported heads, ZZ9 cam, 1.6 roller rockers, 58cc TB, dual cats, gasket-matched cast iron exhaust manifolds, custom PROM. He passes our dyno emissions test with a "fast pass".

 

Aren't 1.6:1 rockers assumed with the Hot Cam?

 

Thaks for the info. But according to Scogin-dickey website it goes like this:
ZZ4 shortblock
Block: Cast Iron, 4- Bolt
Rear Seal: 1 - Piece
Crankshaft: Forged Steel
Stroke: 3.480"
Pistons: Hypereutectic 4VR Flat Top
Compression Ratio: 9.6:1 w/ 64cc heads
Compression Ratio: 8.8:1 w/ 76cc heads

For a L98 shortblock:
Block: Cast Iron, 2 - Bolt
Rear Seal: 1 - Piece
Crankshaft: Nodular Iron
Stroke: 3.480"
Pistons: Cast Dish 4VR (-11cc)
Compression Ratio: 9.1:1 w/ 64cc heads
Compression Ratio: 8.4:1 w/ 72cc heads

I guess it would depend on a gasket thickness.
Although I wouldnt want a 10 to 1 ratio. I might want to use a blower in the future with a mild boost, so I would be happy with a 9.5 to 1. I guess I would have to calculate the ratio when I get all the parts.