Ryanc65

Hello All,

I've got a '65 which has the original engine in it. The car is a daily driver. I'm considering removing the original engine and installing a crate motor. This would allow me to preserve, and eventually rebuild, the original engine until I plan to restore the car. (That may be a while). Right now I want to enjoy driving the car.

I have begun to look a little at some of the GM crate engines in the catalogs. The ZZ4 engine appears to be a popular choice anong many corvette owners.

I would like to know what any of you who have a crate engine, esp. ZZ4, think of them. I personally would choose to go with the Long Block, or more complete engine. One where I only have to basically supply the Carb. and Exhaust Man.

I would like to know what any of you think.

Thanks
Ryan :)

Crazyhorse

I know there are a lot of guys in the C3 section that have them and like them. Post your question over there also. :)

andy60

Ryanc65,

My vote is, just drive it. When was the last time you had a motor fail on you? Do you race the car?

Andy
61 383/425 HP
60 327/ Not much HP

Bluestripe67

Ryanc65 Check in the archives of this particular forum, I remember someone going down this exact road. Hope this helps!

62fuelie

If I were going for a crate engine, I'd be looking real close at a RamJet 350. Just my 2 cents. Tremendous torque curve and driveability.

Cruzmeisters

The ZZ4 is quick enough for me :yesnod: , but, then again, I am an old guy :cry :cry :cry
Cruz

kellsdad

I believe a zz4 is a pretty straightforward swap. But if, like me, you get tempted to go further with FastBurn heads, etc, look out. FastBurn heads sit higher making hood clearance a problem. And they require different headers forcing modifications to the exhaust system and the alternator bracket. Which ever engine you decide to get, research it thoroughly first and post your plans here. It can save you a lot of time and money.

65Tuxedo

I put a ZZ4 in my 65 coupe last fall. Clearence under the hood is tight. The hood touches the air cleaner. I kept the factory HEI, so removing the resistor was necessary. That also required a different tach. A new short water pump has to replace the one that comes with it. My 2 1/2" exhaust manifolds bolted up, but a little work with a die grinder is needed to match the ports. I drive this car several days a week and it is an absoute hoot to drive. I just got in from storming around the countryside tonight. It has never missed a beat and the sidepipes make the best sound. I would do this again without hesitation. My car was originally a fuelie. Some day I plan to develop a fuelie setup to go back in it, but it is too much fun to think about that now. When I do, the ZZ4 will go into some other fun vehicle, like my Sea Ray. I came close to geting the ramjet 350, but decided against it for several reasons. Good luck with whatever you decide. JB

62fuelie

I saw a 66 with a RamJet 350 a few months ago. Really neat installation. Clearance was also very close. The guy test fit a BB hod and it worked without any modification, but he liked the SB hood better. (I agree) He had to notch out a small spot on the inner hood support to clear the throttle linkage. Looked really nice and drove fantastic. All the good driveability of EFI with the "right" look. My "original Ram Jet" might get replaced with one some day. Then again, it probably wont. :D

clearrun

Checkout these guys. http://www.enginefactory.com/. I bought a stroker engine from them and am very satisfied with it. I bought the high HP version (450 HP at the fly wheel). There is no comparison between the perf. of this engine and a ZZ-4. The extra torque of the stroker is amazing. They also sell 350s. They will deliver a complete turnkey engine with a video of the thing running before you buy it. I was unhappy with the rough idle at first and asked them for a different cam which they delivered along with lifters free of charge. Once the engine got broken in I decided I liked the extra HP at the high end and did not swap it out. They were extremely helpful and honest in my book. I would buy from them again any time.[quote]Hello All,




[Modified by clearrun, 4:02 PM 4/5/2002]

62fuelie

David, just looking, I would think the C1 has more hood clearance. I have never measured, however. The new RamJet has the air inlet at the front, vs the side. The installation I saw had a very "OEM" looking black plastic S tube from the inlet over to the radiator support. On the other side of the support he had A K&N open element filter mounted. You really had to look closely to see the filter itself. He also did not have the fuel pump mounted inside the tank as recommended. It was on the frame just below the tank and had caused no problems. He had added a return line. The added line would be much easier on the C1, since you have access to the top of the tank. You really need to make the swap and then loan me your car for a couple of weeks to see if I like it well enough to do it myself. :D Since I have an original FI car, I probably wouldn't do it, but if it were not, it would be a real serious consideration.

62fuelie

David, when you get the swap completed we can get together and compare notes! I suspect we would find the new RJ to outperform the old RJ in most categories. Though the advertised HP ratings are very close, I suspect the new one actually has more "grunt". I can't tell any real difference in the street performance of my FI 62 and my 67 with a 327/350. Of course, neither engine is configured exactly to specs either. The compression is a little lower than stock in both, the 62 has a hydraulic cam that's maybe close to spec and the valves have been opened up to 2.02's, so it's not necessarily a fair comparison. Both go to the grocery store at exactly the same speed.
The old FI's are quite sensitive to gasoline quality, and also have a starting proceedure for both hot and cold starts that must be adhered to. The old FI's have one VERY ANNOYING problem that is apparently inherent in today's gasoline. Apparently the gas in the spider under the plenum absorbes enough heat when at rest with a hot engine that the gas vaporizes. This causes a period of surging and rough idle immediately after a hot start. Generally it will clear up in a minuet or so after enough "cold" gas has passed through the lines. It can also do this after prolonged idling if the balance between heat and fuel flow gets out of kilter. This problem seems to be at its worst when we have "winter gas". Winter gas and a warm day makes for a lot of frustration. I to am on an extended trip, and when I return I'm going to have spring weather and a tank full of winter gas. :eek: Racing gas would solve the problem, but it is expensive, hard to get and illegal to use. :(

I could have bought a complete RamJet 350 for less than the FI/distributer/air cleaner cost. A lot less. However, the car is unquestionably an original FI car so I think I did the right thing. If I wanted to "clone" a fuelie, especially a 57-62, I would give the RamJet 350 a hard look, especially if I wanted to drive the car on a frequent basis. :D

Muttley

62fuelie:
Definitely a pair of nice cars--I'm not sure how you decide which one to drive to the grocery store! Thanks for all of the advice--I'll be sure to keep you posted.
-David

62fuelie

I'll be looking forward to hearing what you decide to do. My first choice for driving is usually the 62, but if the weather is bad, or I'm going a long distance the 67 is much more comfortable and easier to drive. It is a tough choice, I admit. I didn't intend to keep the 67 when I bought the 62, but my wife won't let me sell it. Good wife! :D