i had the chance to drive a C6 Z06 .beautiful but not very impressed. my L88 type engine seems to me more torquey and impressive. possibly i'm wrong because of the comfort and perfect steering-suspensions of the z06 that makes the power feel lower but the car is actually going really fast. BTW my 69 l88 is really "scary" and exciting. I would have gone for a Zl1 GMPP block but I changed my mind and went for an iron block...

 

In only 40 Years the main advantage of an LS engine over a ZL/1 is more effeciant Heads and more compact design. However the Larger BB will always be able to be made Larger in CI than the LS so maybe we had better stick with the Heads and go with the advantage of being a Metric Engine instead. Most all of the other modern advances of Valvetrain to FI and what not are avalable for either Engine.

 

I agree here, Id much rather have to drive my car,hit the go pedal and hope like hell im gonna keep it straight, and have to learn when to feather it out in hopes of gaining traction sometime before 4th gear and pull of a stunning reaction from passer bys saying "damn he can drive". Anyone can get in a traction controled computer commanded shifting cadilac of a corvette and look impressive. Not knocking it its not for me though. Technology is great and every year chevy brings more power performance and streetable performance to the table. But again its not for me,I like the adrenaline i get from not knowing if this car im in is going to try a new stunt for me to have to drive out of!!!

 

I hope it puts a big grin on your face every time you get behind the wheel!

 

I agree with much of what you say. In my 69, having a 439 c.i. iron block w/ alum. heads, similar cam to the L-88, but less compression I'm down on power to the L-88 but not by a ton. When you drop the hammer in 1st gear you'd better have the car pointed straight and give it your full attention. If not it can bite you in a big hurry. However, I drive my Z06 in Competitive Driving mode about 90% of the time (no traction control) and it's just as easy to have it get away from you if you don't respect it. It does have better balance and is easier to gather up but they are both beasts that demand your full attention under throttle and force you to "drive" them. Plenty of grins either way.

 

*sigh* I do miss my '69 L-46 4-speed. It wasn't in the same league...but it had just enough nasty to be fun.

My C5 Z06 still has a bit of "raw" left in it...much more than the C6 Z06.

 

I can't give you comparisons between the ZL-1 and the newer LS series engines but I can between The ZL-1 and original L-88 and LS-7 engines. I've had a 66 coupe now for 38 years. I raced the car back in the mid to late 70's in SCCA . It was a street car before and after it's racing career. It was redone by me in 1972 with a small block 327/365 and raced in B production. I later picked up an L-88 and went to A production. Big change. A few years later I replaced the L-88 with a crate LS-7 and ran that until I got out of racing. Both the L-88 and LS-7 were comprable in power. When put back on the street the LS-7 was a pain. After a year I put a crate LS-6 in the car and put the LS-7 in a wide body I was building. The LS-6 was in the car until Oct 2009 !!! In Oct 2009 I decided to buy a ZL-1 Anniversary motor . I've got number 163 in the 66. The only thing lacking inside the new ZL-1 is 3 points of compression !!! It idles unlike any big block I have owned. Nice and smooth. It revs up like a small block but with lots of torque. With the 9.5-1 compression it will live on 93 octane gas which is important today. The LS-6 with a 11-1 c/r would ping in upper gears on a hard pull. The ZL-1 will not. If anything it's quicker as it weighs 150 lbs less than the other big blocks it replaced.I haven't dynoed the engine but my butt and gut says somewhere near 500 hp. The LS-6 was dynoed many moons ago at 492 hp. I'm enjoying mine and it's looks fit the 66 much better than a newer LS style engine would.
-------------- Ken McCorry

 

Modern roller cam profiles and better heads make a big difference. The new ZL-1 doesn't need to pull the RPM to get the power. As I said it is a much better street engine but not anything like the original in manners. I kind of like the nasty manners.

 

Nasty manners are FUN!!