Anyone Tried the ZZ 427/480HP Crate Mtr ??
 

Anyone tried this Crate Motor?

Thinking of installing this in a '71 LS-5 Vert. It has the Big Block Hood, but I feel certain it will be too short.

I welcome feedback .... Thanks...



http://www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet-Perf...ductId=1123887

I contacted Jegs and verified it is a hotter version of the 427 crate motor.

Specifications
Engine Type: BB-Chevy V8
Displacement: 427 ci
Bore x Stroke: 4.25" x 3.75"
Block: Cast iron with 4-bolt main caps
Crankshaft & Connecting Rods: Forged steel
Pistons: Forged aluminum
Camshaft: Hydraulic roller
Valve Lift: .527 Intake/.544 Exhaust
Camshaft Duration @ .050": 224° Intake/234° Exhaust
Cylinder Heads: Aluminum oval port, 110cc chambers
Valve Size: 2.19 Intake/1.88 Exhaust
Compression Ratio: 10.1 to 1
Rocker Arms: Aluminum roller, 1.7 to 1 ratio
Distributor: HEI
Carburetor: 770 cfm
Water Pump: Aluminum, short
Spark Plugs & Wires: Included
Flexplate: 14"
Ignition Timing: Base 10° BTDC, Total 36°
Maximum Recommended RPM: 6400
Balanced: Internally
Recommended Fuel: 92 Octane

No personal experience with that motor
But is is ironic that on Overhaulin' just last night, they put that exact motor in a 67 Camaro.

Take it for what its worth.
Sounded real nice, nice idle and hauled pretty fast on the test drive.

If it was me I would go with a 454 or a 502.

Keep us informed on what you decide.

Pics also :thumbs:

Thanks for Your reply. :cheers:

I was not impressed by the specs on teh ZZ454/440HP. Cam specs and compression left much on the table. The 427 has the same cam as the 502 without the inches to swallow the cam. (that is my current reasoning)

It is hard to get past sticking a 427 in a 454 car.... :hide:

I was not referring to the ZZ454. I just like the 454 block as the basis for a big block build.

But go with your gut. It is your car. No sense having any remorse later on.

Pics when its done please............:cheers:

I don't have any direct experience with that crate motor, but the specs are incredibly similar to the engine I built for the '69 two years ago. Runs strong, and the idle is very acceptable. I enjoy track days (road courses) with this car (no drag experience here) and it runs great.

I have to believe you would be happy with that engine.

Sounds like they just put together a reliable strong runner.
Higher powered BB versions out there by GM if you want them.
Cant expect too much if theres a warranty on them

Shoot some simple head work and a cam upgrade could really up the ante easily

my old man put this engine in his 66 vette a couple of years ago. beside the oil burning issue it had the 427 makes good power and very streetable. He gets better gas milage then i do with the tremmec, 336 gears. gm did pay to rebuild this engine once,it took two years of bitching but they finaly agreed to foot the rebuild. it was burning a quart of oil every 100 miles. wheeler racing engines rebuilt the engine and thought the pistons where a little under sized and the combo of metric ring package was the problem. it got j/e pistons torque honed and put back together and dynoed at 488/480 if i remember right

Interesting motor - looks reliable - which isn't a bad thing to some folks :D

were it me, I'd swap the rods for either I beam or H beam (preferable) rather than stock. However, with those small heads (flow), that should keep you from spinning it to the point where good rods are no longer optional.

I'd question the fasteners... ARP is the de facto standard in motors with more than 300 hp

the cam in that motor leaves a lot of the table, but I bet it's got tons of torque.... question is, in a Corvette, wouldn't you rather trade some of that torque for HP?

what transmission are you running?

All of the above is a wordy way of asking - what do you want your Corvette to do? cruise? track days? race? great mpg? dead nuts reliable? lighter? stronger? baddest sounding BBC on the planet (nothing, IMO, wrong with that at all)

Get the zz454. Regrind the cam to .610/.630, 234/242 via Delta Cams for ~$100 and reinstall. Split the $2k you just saved with me for good advice and wave goodbye to the guy with this 427 in his car.

You'll have to elongate the slot in the rocker arms, but it's literally as simple as that to get the ZZ454 into the 520-ish hp range. I've done just that with three ZZ502's. The difference is night and day when you let a BBC engine actually breathe a little.

With regards to hp loss, the 0.4 comp ratio difference equals about 5hp in this particular instance; but I'll take this 'loss' given the upside.

Thanks for the continuted feedback..... :cheers:

My goal is a strong / reliable street motor, that on occasion, is good for a 3k road trip.

Right now it has the factory M21 w/ 3.36 gears. This winter she will get an overdrive, but have yet to research that one.

Here she is....