Long time reader. First time caller.

I have a 95 conv. A-4. still has 2.59 gears.72K miles
I was on my way to Phoenix 2 weeks ago, Pulled into a place to eat. 410 miles from home. long story short. went to leave and engine liquid locked right there in the parking lot. It's home now & gutted.

I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to run some decktop dyno #'s for me. pretty simple question really. Here is what I have ( and Im not changing) GM LT4 heads & intake new in box. ZZ4 camshaft.GM SA 1.5 roller rockers.

So, here it is I'm at the crossroads of making it a 377 (3.75 Crank standard bore with 10.6:1 or do I stay with the 350 10.5 and just change to a 3.07 gear.

Will the ZZ4 cam pull the same RPM band as the stock LT1 with the LT4 stuff and the the 3.75 crank? I think it will was just wondering if somone would run it on their dyno program since i dont have one.

This my everyday car. Im not even going to put headers on it. dont want a nasty cam.I have a 55 chevy for that. sending the PCM off and I need the LT4 knock module. Not sure it even needs a52mm TB.

I think with the 2.59 gears and a stroker crank this should be one sneaky kick in the pants. I'm guessing it sould put out 450FLB &420HP at the crank. & should raise an eyebrow when it leaves.

I live at 6000ft. New ZO6's can only muster 13.20 on street tires here! still hitting 112 MPH

Any help would be great!!! and thank you for your time gentelmen.

Clay

 

 

Do the pistons need replacing?
If you have to take them out then do the stroker as the only extra cost will be the crank; can't beat cubic inches

 

I would put in a Hot Cam. The ZZ4 is not much.

 

go with a Lunati Voodoo in the 383....very smooth road manners but way more torque...and I would still do the gears later

 

Lets see you have the lt4 heads and intake and you don't want to use a proven cam that makes those parts really perform.Doesn't make sense to me .you are on the right track with the 3.75 stroke 377.no replacement for displacement.You do realize that the added stroke will make a larger cam more manageable in your new motor. You are really holding back your motors potential with your cam selection.

 

2 ways to make power with a given displacement. Rev it to the moon or increase displacement. SOunds to me you want grunt and stroker is the way to go.

 

Thanks for the input. I know im trying to have my cake & eat it too. I droped the engine off at the machine shop today. After watching him throw down 827HP at the rear wheels with his twin turbo single carb 383 59 chevy stepside.. Must be nice to have your own wheel dyno. we played with his dyno program a bit. its kind of a toss up. the stroker crank puts out a peak of 487flbs and carries 450flbs from 2000rpm to 4700rpms the 350 setup peaked at 468 and carries north of 420flbs from 2000 to 5000. so the 350 makes a bit of a bullrun on the top in the hp.(no shock) both were pulling 410-420 hp and they start falling at 5700rpms. the whole point of this is no conveter change and a gear change is a maybe later thing. Best of all noone will know whats coming.

Yes yes the hot cam is great. Not in an auto with 2.59 or 3.07 gears Im running 215 at .050 in my 3400lb trans am with a superram with 3.23 gears and its missing the bottom end some.

I really liked the voodoo cam by the way. was my second choice for sure!!!!!! I do like the ZZ4 for the flat TQ curve. I have played with one before. I saved $210 dollars.

Still up in the air on this I have to think it through. The 383 cost a bit more and i really think a 52MM TB would be in order. that can happen later.

thank you for your two cents and please chime in.

 

by the way its the worst block I have ever owned. the bearing tell a story that is so sad. #1 & #2 rod bearing are down to the steel backing and the main bearings have a pattern of what the hell. Cylinder look new. yeah we're going to get it straight. I'm really not impressed with it. The engine in my shoebox cam out of a 95 1 Ton G van and its a rock. this is a vette???? Par!

 

I see no need for a 52mm TB at your power levels. It'll have better throttle response with the stocker. JMO.

 

I'm running the biggest VooDoo available in my truck...its a 454SS...the original engine is in mothballs and I dropped in a 496 built on another 93 4bolt block...I used the World products iron heads..269cc runners 2.18 intakes..Edelbrock Intake...reworked TBI and 9.8/1 CR...It is such a sweet running torquey beast...playing at the track on street tires I got a best of 12.68...107mph....definantly would have been better with traction but I was very happy anyway...My recommendation is the Voodoo which I like a lot better than the last Comp cams unit I used...the Voodoo has way more torque from idle to redline...you won't be dissappointed...its whats going in my 383 for the C4 for sure

 

Gee I better watch out. I’ve had an LT4 hot cam in my 95 A4 daily driver for the past two years and the better part of 30,000 miles.

While I cannot comment on one cam vs. another I can tell you this with first-hand knowledge …. By doing nothing to your 95 other than changing from a 2.59 to a 3.07 you are going to feel in the seat of your pants like 2 extra cylinders just kicked in throughout the entire rpm range.

I’m not sure where you may have gotten the notion that an LT4 hotcam is not good with a 3.07 auto rear-end but …. Mine runs beautifully. My morning commute is an hour of stop and go and the car has never stalled in traffic. Gas mileage ain’t that great but that’s more a function of my foot rather than the cam.

 

Now you're starting to motivate me from my stock 3:45 to the 4:10.

 

Its a easy and pretty cheap mod , and soooooooo worth it on a A4 with 2.59's. I had mine done in 1.5 days (took my time).

The car is a different beast all together with those gears.

I think all in all , even with new seals , cost of diff , new ujoints , and fluids I did mine for under $400.00 .

 

2.xx gears do not belong in a sports car, period.

 

what is involved to correct the speedo??

 

I agree with the 3.07 gears. But I would really like to ride in one first. I do like where the 2.59 gears come in from a roll. punch it at 35MPH and it drops into first and pops out at 60mph. it will still give you second up to 85MPH an pops out at 99MPH at least. The speedo's are so slow in these cars! its kind of funny. I figure if a cop ever pulls me over and asks me how fast I thought I was going. I'll tell him I couldn't wait that long.

Where does the 3.07 fall in???

if its in the same hood I'm all in!! Its a conv. what will it hit now 165-170MPH in 3rd? better put another $1500 aside for a hard top!

I have to finish what I started. Trust me I wish I were putting gears in before all the engine work. Car made up my mind for me.

I am doing the 383 with 6" rods. 10.6 comp. I do like the zz4 cam. I'm going to try it. I'm just stuck in the snowball effect at the moment. Dist,new water pump,hoses,LT4 KM,tune, And I'm trying to by a house. Just not the best timing.
I'm still pretty pumped about it. I personally think it will put out 410-420 HP and 450-470TQ at the crank. It will have the same powerband the stock LT1 had. I really like the fact you wont hear a radical cam. 6-speed coupe??? HELL YA!!! I'd be all over that & 4.10's and thinking a hot cam isn't big enough and i better build the bottom end for 8 grand. GS flares,315's. But, mine is just a Ken doll 95 A4 conv. that ate itself prematurely. and if i keep it sane I'll (hopefully) get to sell it to a older guy than me with more gray hair than I have without completely losing my butt so, someday I can build a fire breathing coupe.

I'm also kind of lost here??? when the 383 is done and I were to put a 3.07 out back. It weighed in at 3280lbs.How much slower is this thing going to be than an 2009 LS3. (I'll have more TQ.) 1/2 a car? a car? in 1320ft? All total i will have less than $17K (if I can find the gear for $600 or less. I sure dont think it will be a 50K spanking!!!!! and the new Bose sounds as bad as my Bose before the top is down.

Ok, I'm ranting. I must go!

 

Heck it runs well. very smooth! very quiet! Kinda quick!!! 383 in, LT4 heads & intake on. 307s out back, very smooth! thankyou for the hook up Tachout!!! Jet servos, PCM4less.great job!!! AND YES THE ZZ4 CAM!
On his 15th birthday with 70miles on the new engine. This totally stock looking & sounding Vette with 30PSI in all the tires, That shifts out of first at the 330 mark. Beat the SRT8 Challenger(A5) by .60 The New Camaro (A6) by .82 & My brothers 2006 GTO 6.0 (A4) by .99 I'm not saying its the fastest thing on the planet. I got what I wanted to start out. The cover boys got a little spankin too! for less than $16K. X-pipe is in waiting on the mufflers. Thinking very hard about a 52mm TB & on the fence about 3.54 gears with Zips cool cover for the main caps.

Later

 

who told you a hot cam was a very good cam?

 

You lost me??? It is a good cam & I'm so glad i didn't use it for this build. I just didnt want to change converters & get silly gears for this car. My ZZ4 with 1.5 RR seems to be doing ok with the high flow #s @ lower lift of the LT4 Heads and it pulls to 6100 with stock exhaust & 48MM TB. Alot of fun for an auto.

Dr. Evil was right. With the stock throttle body on this thing it has pretty quick responce. To the point have had to learn how to drive this thing again. Kinda snappy.