cv67

In your situation being out of the country Id be shopping for reputation over price. New is new less chance for failure imo
Being overseas you cant afford to be shipping back and forth, what if that cheaper guy wiht the fancy ebay ad doesnt want to stand behind their warranty?
The fact it has accessories on it, parts that work together is a bonus esp a good calibrated carb/distributor.
Vortecpro is another option Mark has a very solid reputation, nice knowing the owner is doing the work not some pizzed off worker whos hungover.

taylor34

I'm interested in this thread as well now that I've decided to keep my c3 and upgrade it with the money I was going to use towards a c5. I'm interested it getting something with fuel injection to make it more reliable and easier for my wife to drive. I have the base 350 (not original) which basically produces no power, lol. I don't need a ton of power but getting at least a 383 would nice.

One thing I haven't seen in this thread or others, how long does an engine swap take? I know a repaint can take months, wasn't sure if an engine swap was something shops would do quickly or something they might just do in their spare time.

drspencer

Just so I'm clear, this ZZ383 fits under the stock hood, uses the stock Rams head exhaust manifolds & mufflers?

Does it idle as smoothly as a stock 350/270?

Thanks

Dynra Rockets

The factory cast iron exhaust manifolds will bolt on and work but the ports will not line up perfectly as the engine uses the updated raised D ports (Google).

You will need a flywheel and possibly a corresponding starter designed for a single piece rear main seal.

Taijutsu

If and when things go bad, someone has to step up and take responsibility.
If you have several different shops doing the work.
It is hard to place blame.

I had one shop do everything and get it through smog.
After driving my car for a few years, I knew what I wanted.
Mine is close to JBL 78 but w/TFS heads.
On the rollers it gets 315 rwtq and 280 rwhp.

I'm looking forward to the bigger 2.5" RHs.
That should be worth 20 TQ/HP?

JMHO

R

Primoz

And those numbers are not so small as many think. Very solid engine there!

billwood98

I have been following the Crate Engine thread with great interest. ,I have one question that is kind of unique. My 76 is a California registered vehicle. Does anybody know if the ZZ4 will pass CA smog???
And yes, my year requires CA smog junk,
Thank You,
Bill

panic

Try a carbed Brutus SB 406ci built by American Speed of Ill, I had it on my C3 for more then a decade with no iussues whatsoever, a meaty true 570 hp revving up to 6k, sweet like a pie, thunderous like a summer storm.

customers service at highest level too.

bigvette1

If it is a BB stay with a BB. If a SB stay with the a SB. The change is not easy considering the mounts, brackets, suspension etc to go from a SB to a BB

cv67

your zz4 should be fine for ca smog

71chimera

IMO, one of the worst choices are those which deliver to you already bored 0.040" oversize; a standard 350 has 4.000" bores but most crates deliver at 4.040"
SBC Pistons typically available std, +20, +30, +40, (NO +50), +60. Typical cleanup takes +20 or more. Some later blocks cannot be bored farther than 4.040"
That doesn't leave much, if any, cylinder wall for any subsequent rebuild. Very few companies' crates deliver with New blocks but that costs $ more.
FWIW, blocks can be sleeved to standard but cost $ of all 8 sleeves installed, decked, bored / honed is approaching what a New block cost $.
If you wish to rebuild in future, that +370hp at under $2800 probably won't end up looking like such a bargain after all.
None of that matters if it's only a short-term jaunt. YMMV

vince vette 2

Late to the party, but for what it's worth.

My older brother bought a new 350 Camaro in '74. He was 17 I was just shy of 16. Two teenagers, a new Camaro, grew up in farm country with minibikes, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, tractors etc. all of which we worked on, and grandpa owned a service garage giving us access to everything a boy could want to hop up his car. Swapped the heads for bigger valves, put a holley on to replace the 2 barrel GM carb, went to a high duration solid lift cam, hooker headers, cherry bomb mufflers, all the best 70's vintage stuff. No idea what the HP was. But it wasn't long before he snapped the driveshaft. So, we got a beefier one made up. A while later he grenaded the TH350. Literally, pieces were strewn for a hundred yard along the road. So, hit the junk yard, grabbed to TH400 for $50 (25 hours work back then) and slapped that in. Ran great until the one night a valve lock went loose, the head broke off the valve, turned itself vertical, jammed itself into the head and pounded a hole into the piston and caused so much stress it cracked the block between the bores.

So, in answer to your question, yes everything has to be considered as a system or you'll find the weakest link. I'm not saying that a C3 can't stock take some decent hp. But it varies between years. You could probably drop 400 hp gross into most of them without an issue. But beyond that it depends.

Primoz

Well I looked at some crate options for my car and like it was written before me I ended up looking at new blocks not rebuilt ones.
Blueprint engines offers new blocks and of course GM Performance offers variety of great engines. But they cost $$$!
I'm from Europe and engine shops are not that common here but in the US you have a lot more options to choose from.
Choose wisely!