79Redvette

I need more power. Is the Hotcam and 1.6's worthy. Or could you guys suggest something better. And will the Air gap fit under the 79 hood?

sharkthehunter77

OK, I see noone else is responding to this post so i will despite the fact that i am far from a true hot rodder ( the only motor i ever built lasted three days :nopity :banghead: ) The hotcam/1.6 rocker idea does improve performance and is worthy of its reputation. But, the truth is it is actually a mild cam grind and if you do the research you'll find that there are other after market grinds by Crane that are a bit wilder. First you must decide exactly what you awnt from your motor. For example. I new i wanted a ZZ4 becuase of the high stock torque numbers it would provide me. I was into 1/4 ile track racing at the tiem and wanted the torque for the strip launch and nice response on the street. Yet, the stock ZZ4 only gives like 350 ponies which while nothing to sneeze at just wasn't enough for me long term. i went with Sallee chevrolets ZZ4 performance option #1, which got me ported heads and intake and boosted my numbers to 385hp/416tq.
Those numbers are much more sutable for my street strip driving style. The torque ( dynoed at 350 to the erar wheels) is just slightly high of were i envisioned it in my power curve but the horsepower is amazing. At 3500 RPM the car just seems to start pulling and pulling and pulling. Shes surprised a lot of rice racers. But, enough about me. What do you wan? Were in the power curve do you want peak pwer and torque? Do you have an automatic tranny or a three speed? What are your rear end gears.
The cheapest per horsepower performance mod is usually nitrous. My favorite is the tried and true cam/heads/rockers package! ( can get spendy) Theres also fuel injection, supercharging and overboring. I would just start with porting your heads and intake and see where you can go from there!

69stingray

Can you be more specific? Where in the RPM band do you need the power? How do you feel you are short on power? What is your current set-up (besides the ZZ4 motor). Intake, Carb, headers, exhaust, etc.

79Redvette

Quess i should have gave some specifics. Stock ZZ4, 650 Demon carb made for the ZZ4. TCI racing trans with a 2800 stall and 355 gears. Hooker sidepipes. I want in the low 12's. It is a street car but not a daily driver. So what do i need to accomplish my goal?

sharkthehunter77

Since your vette wont be daily driven you may be able to get away with a more radical cam and some head porting. What type of intake manifold? An Edelbrock Victor jr ( drop base filter and all) seems like the best idea. But, that manifold has the torque a little higher in the curve then the one which comes with the ZZ4. I dont know anything about your TCI racing tranny But if i were you i'd get my car weighted first. Take it to the track to see how far off the mid 12's mark she was. And then see how much money/per horsepower doller i could get out of a new victor Jr, a more radical cam and some 1.6 rockers. If you have enough money ( $3000.00) then look into fuel injection ( throttle bodies from edelbrock, Accel or Holley) or used units from C4 vettes. Since your tranny has a 2800 stall then you really should try to tailor your mods around that aspect for your best launches.

Guru_4_hire

http://www.whipplesuperchargers.com/...sp?ProdID=1171

If I dont build a 383 twin turbo, I am gonna build one of these with a more aggressive camshaft, and perhaps P&Ping the heads.

69stingray

I am thinking your current stall speed is a little high for the torque curve of the ZZ4. The ZZ4's cam (208/221 duration; 0.474/0.501 lift) is a little on the mild side but crates great low-mid range torque.

If you want to improve your drag racing times, you want your torque curve not to fall off as quickly after your peak torque, and you want your peak torque to be a little higher in the RPM.

(1) Manifold. You need either the Performer RPM or the Victor Jr. The Victor Jr. starts to outperforming the RPM around 5,000 RPM (if I recall from a comparison in a magazine). People have been able to get the RPM to fit under the hood of late C3's with drop base air cleaners. You may need to use a 2" tall filter, if so, invest in the K&N filter top to get some more surface to breathe through.

(2) Cam You need more duration on your cam. I do like the "HOT" cam (218/228 duration, 0.525/0.525 lift). Also, the "HOT" cam has 112 lobe separation, where as most aftermarket cams have 110. The 112 will give you better idle and a little better top end performance. You need to check the springs on your Vette (ZZ4) heads, not sure if they can handle 0.525 lift. In order to get the HP to run 12's, you may need a little more aggressive cam. Try lookin' into either Edelbrock Performer RPM Roller (234/238 duration, 0.539/0.548 lift) or Crane HR-296 (234/242 duration, 0.539/0.558 lift).

(3) HEADS. Your cylinder heads will become your next limiting factor. The vette heads are great heads, they don't get much credit though. With today's tech., they can be outflowed by a lot of heads, including cheap Vortec heads. The ZZ4 has a great compression ratio of 10:1, due to the 55 cc chambers in the heads. Replacing the heads with lessen your compression, not good. I would have someone port your current heads and add 2.02/1.94 valves.

Good Luck, keep us posted!

69stingray

Tried to find some various dyno results. Here is the best I could do. ZZ4 with the "Hot" cam and Edelbrock pro-Flo fuel injection. 432 # Tq @ 4500 RPM vs. 405 # Tq @ 3500 RPM (base ZZ4).