Mod Sickness - Opinions Please!

[89ZZ4]

Howdi Hi All! Short story long. Last spring pulled my 89 6spd motor with 11.5K miles on it and put in a ZZ4 crate with extremely low miles that I added the Mini Ram II/Headers/ZZ409 Cam +++ to. Problem was the heads were on so I didn't mess with them knowing they would be the restriction point in the set-up. Used the TPIS Stage 6 chip but then got started with a chip from Jeff while I got EASE software to run scans. Probably getting 360 flywheel. Winter hit got chance to get some ported 113 Dports with bigger valves and springs to cure the restriction.
Simple job for those of us with simple minds. Put on new heads
fired up then FIRE! Major clean up. Live in mechanic says AFPR is bad and the heads are crap. Off they come - one hung exhaust valve - to the machinst (not the one who built them) who declares
guide clearence too tight and the exhaust seats too small for the 1.60 valves but the Intake valves at 2.02 are OK the way they are set up. So $250 later I have new exhaust seats with corrected guides and everything is good to go. Another set of head bolts (went ARP) and gaskets. Won't start and stay running so it has to be the durn heads again. Before I had time to think- off they come and kid says put the ZZ4 original heads back on. He throws away the ARP heads bolts and says I can do a gasket match and a light clean up of the runners but no spring removal so I can't screw any thing up. Got yelled at by Terry and Chris at TPIS for taking off the heads without trouble shooting. Too late.
Did gasket match and cleaned up runners using a simple dremel and some STD Abrasives stuff. Using some ingenuity I opened the valves to ensure perfect clean up of the mess and discoved to my suprise that the ZZ4 crate heads have (1) fully radiused valve seats and (2) both the Intake and Exhaust valves while stock and not necked down do have a 30 degree back cut on them so when you figure they have the Hot Cam Springs these are not just old 113 Dport castings as came from the factory in 89. On they go (this time with new APRs and the FelPro 1010 - Poopi - still no start and the no compression feeling. Break down buy compression tester. Kid says maybe the head gaskets old man and I say 1010s are a match. 185 to 190 psi all around. Buy Summit leakdown tester. 2% then a couple of 7% then one at 12% (Very marginal in my opinion) THEN 25+% on #2! So out it's going to come.
What screws up some rings with only 5,000 miles on them - what did this inept tinkerer do????. OK the questions.

1. Pull motor transfer all stuff to the original motor (Cam, biggest heads, etc.) throw it in and go (remember original motor has 11,000 mile on it). Save ZZ4 for the future stroker. Cheapest Quickest Way.

2. Pull motor - send it to machine shop and do a simple 30 over job with stock pistons and build a 355? Next Cheapest but have to wait for work to get done.

3. Pull motor - send to machine shop and do the 383 now using the big valve 113 Dport heads.

4. Pull motor - do the 383 stroker and sell all three heads and put on set of TPIS AFRs. Means more fuel pump and injectors but the torque would handle the 3.33 rear gears well and I can kill myself at over 175.

OPINIONS PLEASE and don't say I'm a sick puppy. Can't get back to driving it til mid summer at best and Ken's got me beat by a counrty mile and then some. This things driving me over the edge.

Phil (aka 89ZZ4) soon not to be a ZZ4.

 

[Ken]

Got yelled at by Terry and Chris at TPIS for taking off the heads without trouble shooting.

Bad boy!

Seriously Phil, I really don't know what to say about what happened, but as for my opinion as to which of the four options I would choose, it would have to be number four. I figure that as long as you're in it for an inch, may as well go the mile.

As an interesting sidenote to this subject, I just read an article by Ben Stein about choices (Corvettes vs frugality) and which road to take in traveling this life. In it he descibes how his parents always lived well below their means, that they could always have afforded much more but chose frugality instead. In the end though, both parents confessed to wishing that they had taken a more daring approach to life. "If we are going to go for it, do it now; eat that gourmet food, buy that art or that Corvette, take up Karate or birding, buy that house by the shore..."

Life is an unbelievable rip-off, I think I hear my parents saying. You do all of that work, and act prudent, and sacrifice, and you're a good boy or girl, and then, instead of getting the reward of doing what you're passionate about, you awaken to find out that you're fresh out of passion. One small way to make the balance right is to seize the moment and do the passionate thing when you can. Life is so incredibly short and those moments in the little red Corvette are so very long.

Go for the gusto Phil!

_ken

 

[Vettelt193]

On a side note, I really like that Ben Stein article. An excellent read for Corvette or non Corvette owner.

As for the engine... that all depends on money in my opinion. The more you have, the faster you will go... which one would I do? probably option 1 or 2 to get the car running well for a minimal cost.

 

[-=Jeff=-]

Depending on how much work you and your kid want to tackle..

Here is what I would do:

Put the Stock motor back in for the year. I assume you have the ZZ4 cam, I would install the ZZ4 cam int he stock motor and use your miniram with it, it will get you through the summer..

Send out the ZZ4 block to be built as a 383, have it internally balanced etc.. use your ZZ409 cam. As for heads, you can either use the port 113s or switch to the AFRs. Another thought for Cylinder heads could be Brodix as well.

Then next winter swap in the big cube motor and tune it in the spring.

 

[89ZZ4]

Good replies guys. After thinking it over last night I will be going with option one as I want to get up and running this year. Will do as Jeff said except I will use the ZZ409 cam. It ran well with the ZZ4 stock heads so I want it for the bigger valve heads. I originally bought the ZZ4 long block because it was a deal and I figured a stronger bottom end, but after talking with several people who are running 400 + HP on the stock bottom end with no problems thats what I'm going to do also. Using this set up I should be right at 400 flywheel maybe a tad more depending on the real performance of the bigger valve heads and depending on how well I can get it tuned. Per TPIS I'm good with the stock 22# injectors which have 6,000 miles on them and the new fuel pump I put in last year to handle this combo. I'll save the money for a future project. I don't beat on my car and if I go to the strip twice thats a lot so it's for cruizing mostly. I see the go for the gusto point Ken made but in the past two years I've bought the vette - built the ZZ4 and did the swap and spent quite a bit that the wife has been very good about, even though it cost a kitchen remodel and a trip to Hawaii. As it is I've got to decide whether to upgrade the oil pump and water pump quickly plus the kid told me to get it up on the stands - drain the 6 spd - strip the counsel so he can drop the tranny. Maybe I can have it good to go by the end of June and enjoy some summer. This **** is addictive!

Phil (aka 89ZZ4)