Hello everyone, i have a stock 89 GTA. i wanna change my cam to a zz4, ( i heard it was a nice imporvement, but not rough idle), i also have to change my valve stem gaskets, i am blowing blue smoke, and i figured since i am goin to work on the heads why not go to vortec. but i would have to change my base plate to fit the ports right? and it is that big of a difference to swap over to vortec, is it worth the work and price to change. also, i am changing my exhaust, headers and cat back will be changed. my question is other then the base plate and heads is there anythig else i would need to change, and since i wanna do the headers would they need to be ordered a different way, meaning other the something that would fit on a stock 89 gta. thanku for all your help...

 

check sdpc2000.com for the base plate and heads.
hooker headers pn2055 (headers and y-pipe)
but other than those a custom chip would be nice.and ajustable fuel pressure regulator,and if you got the money MSD 6al setup.

 

see i got the msd 6a, i hate the way it makes my car run, it backfires and it shuts off and wont start again till i let it sit or disconnect the msd. i bought the harness for the connect to the coil, so it is as simple as color matching, so i know i didnt mess it up.... i dont understand it and i def dont like it. i was goin to sell it... any thoughts on y it does this to my car.

 

well, mine backfires(which the MSD instructions said it would do) but it doesnt die nor is it hard to start. as a matter a fact it is easier to start now. all i could say is check your grounds or call MSD up and talk to a tec. sorry i couldnt help much

 

IIRC, the ZZ4 has .474 lift on the intake.
Vortec's are only good to about .460 stock.
So you have to get the valve guide bosses cut for the extra lift.
SDPC sells them that way too. See if you can get them with the LT4 springs too instead of whatever they normally ship with.
You will loose egr unless you buy the kit they sell for it.
Basically vortec truck parts.
You'll need a chip with the appropriate smog delete too.
The stock 89' chip will work ok except for the smog stuff.
With such a mild combo, the msd is pretty much a waste of money.

 

ok well i have the zz4 cam, i have stock heads, what kinda kit would i need, i am goin to take the heads off due to me replacing the valve guides which i dont know how to order, and i wanted to change the springs and rockers, but i dont know how to order this stuff either , and would i need push rods. my car is stock and i wanted to do it all at once, headers, y pipe, cat back,cam and smog delete and intake. think this will make a big difference.

 

I did the zz4 cam swap. Great improvement. Could possibly go bigger, but I'm happy, and since you already have the cam, we won't go into that.

I'd recommend taking the heads off and having a proffesional clean, rebuild, and do a 3 angle valve job. Just tell him how much lift you need the springs to handle. ZZ4 is (IIRC) .474/.510 My guy charged me $100 cash. Also get the screw in studs instead of press-ins, just to be safe. You "shouldn't" need to do the screw-ins, but for the minimal cost, it's better to do it while the guy has 'em in his hands and off your car.

You won't need a computer tune, but it couldn't hurt. My car runs fantastic. The cam is well within' the parameters of the computer. Now that doesn't mean a tune won't net some more power, but it's not essential.

I also added headers and a catback. I think it's almost essential. The exhaust sucks on a stock motor, let alone a modded motor. You've GOT to do exhaust.

Lifters and pushrods are a good idea, but I re-used mine. Make sure the pushrods go back into the exact same spot you took 'em out of. I'd inspect the lifters. Again, new ones aren't a bad idea. I'd probably just go to NAPA to get 'em. Tell them whatcha need and what it's going in. Stock replacement parts are fine for what you're doing, even with the cam.

I did a wonderful thread a few years back about all the delete pullies. Keep in mind you "might" throw an EGR code if ya get rid of it. I didn't. It seems to be kinda 50/50 as to whether or not it'll throw a code.

Regardless of what heads you use, all headers will work. If you DO go Vortec, then obviously you have to use the SD base, so you might as well port the plenum and get new runners. I'd probably recommend a tune as well since you'll really be moving more air with the vortecs. No point leaving any power on the table if you're spending that kinda money.

 

FYI, the Vortec heads have a slightly raised exhaust port as well as a raised intake port. Stock headers partially block off the top of the port, if you modify your header mounting holes to raise the header to match the port you get better flow and power.

Good power is all about matching the components and in some cases it's all in the details!

 

Rather than just getting a Vortec baseplate ($400) I'd just get the Holley Stealth ram intake for vortec heads ($350) and then you don't have to worry about spending even more on runners and porting the upper plenum.

 

ok well, i got the zz4 cam like i told u, and by the way i really appreciate ur help.... i am a military mechanic, but mostly on deisel trucks, i love this car and sold my bro my 1998 mustang gt to buy this car, so making it nice and run good is my goal.... now like u said before, i need to get a few things for the car like lifters, rockers, and rods. i odnt know of any machine shops or places to get the heads taken care of, but i guess ill look around or ask around, now like i said i am goin to remove the heads, my question is would i be able to undo the motor mounts and transmission mounts and just jack the motor up on a slant to take out the cam. and should i replace the timing chain? my car is an 89 gta but only has 88,000 miles. and any other replacements u can think of.

 

Yeah, not a bad idea to replace the chain.

....and you "can" jack up the motor a little, but I don't know if it'd be enough to get the cam to clear the nose or not. If you remove the radiator, fans, and a small nose brace, you can get the cam out without moving the motor at all.

 

....however, my biggest hang up was getting the timing cover back on with the oil pan still in place. I would loosen the pan and jack the motor up slightly to get the cover in place. When I did it a few years ago, I just dog-eared the cover and fought it into place and then gobbed a bunch of RTV around it!!!!

....it worked - no leaks, but it was too half-a$$ for me to do again. I'll pull the pan down next time.

 

YEA I WILL PULL THE PAN, I AM JUST A LIL NERVOUS, I NEVER REALLY BEEN THAT FAR INTO A MOTOR, I MEAN I HAVE A FRIEND HELPIN BUT THIS IS MY BABY, AND I DONT WANNA SCREW IT UP. OK WELL SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN I WILL BEGIN IT SOON, AND I WILL LET U KNOW HOW IT GOES, IF U CARE, THANKYOU.... ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS PLZ GIOMMIE THEM, LOL, I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET....