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383-buy or build?

4K views 28 replies 15 participants last post by  Wolfman 
#1 ·
I have a ZZ3 engine that has some serious blow-by. It's so bad that it blew the PCV out of the valve cover and had the dip stick pushed out until it hit the bottom of the hood. I had oil everywhere when I got home and I don't want to start a fire or have the oil soak through my hood and ruin my paint.

I don't want to lose my season messing around with the thing all summer, so I have to either rebuild my engine or replace it. I'd like a stroker engine, but I don't really know wether or not it would be best to build one, or buy one. I don't have any experience building an engine from scratch, but I'm sure I could do it with some guidance.

I'm leaning towards just buying a crate engine so that I can be back on the road in just a few days. I know some of you have purchased motors from builders and I'd like a recommendation on who you used and if you were pleased with the purchase. I know if I build it myself, I would be very careful and hopefully have an engine that doesn't leak, but I really don't have the experience or the time right now. I'm looking for a builder that has proven that they take their time and do things right.

It would be great if you could let me know your experience, and if you would recommend them. Also how much difference did you notice between a 350 cu in engine with 350 hp and your stroker engine. The ZZ3 has 350 hp and 390 torque, so I wonder if there is a big difference going with the stroker, or if it won't be a night and day difference.

Thanks for any help you can give me in making my decision.
 
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#10 ·
Now that's what I'm looking for. How tight is the engine, does it leak at all? How long have you had it? Can you tell me exactly what one you bought? It's going in my C2 Corvette and I want to make sure I don't have a hood clearance problem.
 
#2 ·
If you buy from Summit,Jegs,Speedway, GM you get a warranty.If you build it yourself the only person standing by you..is YOU. If you pay a local shop to build one the guy will do what ever he can to get out of warranty work...or only cover labor.This has been my experience after 45 years of watching things break.
 
#3 ·
#5 ·
My ZZ4 is only 355hp @ 415 tq so I believe the 383 Strokers are up around 425hp and 450 hp

These crate motors are incredibly reliable, come with a warranty and will certainly be noticeably more responsive....

If you go this route remember that the increase in HP and torque will be looking for weakness in the drive line behind it....
 
#6 ·
consider buying just a short block and transferring your heads etc to the new short block. save some $$ and get some torque.
 
#12 ·
I'd consider buying a shortblock and putting the cam and heads on it that you want. Heck, if you're not looking for anything crazy, you might be able to re-use the ZZ3 cam, lifters, and spider assembly (although it'd be kinda small in a 383 and probably be well out of it's RPM range over 5000 RPM). Also, you could likely use the oil pan, timing cover, waterpump, etc from your ZZ3 if you get the same late model (i.e. factory roller) block. I wouldn't consider a new motor without a roller cam, period.

Putting on a timing cover, oil pan, and some heads will take you an afternoon if you have the tools and parts you need. For the money, it's pretty hard to beat AFR heads...yeah, a few hundred more bucks but a lifetime warranty is also handy!

Not super impressed with the heads that either GM or Blueprint use on their crate motors. CNC Motorsports is another option.

Might depend heavily on your budget in the end.

Only other thing I'd say is that a set of AFR 180's on a 350 vs the L98 heads you have on your ZZ3 would likely net you 35 lb/ft of torque and I'm gonna guess close to 50 HP up top. You could stick with a 350 and get very good power with a better set of heads and a cam with a little more lift and duration all while maintaining good street manners.

My pop has a '67 Corvette with a ZZ3 in it and I have a '72 Camaro with a rebuilt ZZ3 (.030 over), but it has a set of Profiler 195 heads, an Isky 225/234 at .050 roller cam, and a better dual plane intake. I bet it's knocking down 60 more horsepower than that stock ZZ3 and it makes more torque around 2500 to 3000 RPM too (it's probably the same down low due to the smaller ZZ3 cam)...thing hauls ass and it's no slouch down low. I'm sure a bigger motor would make more torque down low (I have a 421 in my '56...I know it will), but 350's can make great power with the right combo. Power is in the heads more than anywhere else, but of course, cubic inches help too!
 
#13 ·
Look up Year one engine offerings, they have a ~400hp ~400ftlbs crate with warranty, one with modified Vortec heads, one with aluminum aftermarket. If I didn't build my own copies of magazine motors I would seriously consider a Year One engine 350 or 383. The 350 vortec headed one used to be ~3K, in fact for a period of time it was 2995.
 
#14 ·
I think this one looks interesting. What do you guys think?

https://www.skipwhiteperformance.com...hp-base_80557/

I like the specs on the #3 cam choice. I need to know if all the stuff from my ZZ3 will work with this engine. Water pump, headers, fuel pump

I'll have to call and see how much I can customize what I'm buying so I don't have to purchase things I already have.
 
#15 ·
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM SKIP WHITE he sells a lot of so called performance parts that are crappy Chinese knock offs. his engines are built with that stuff too. try blueprint on gmpp.
 
#16 ·
I started looking for reviews on them and found quite a few of the same comments, but they were from about 4-5 years ago. Some reviews said to go with his uncle Fred White instead.

But then I found a thread that opened my eyes to Skip White. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...rmance.576406/

This guy is never going to get my business no matter what he sells. He is really an "A" hole in how he treats people. I guess I'll give Blueprint and Smeding a shot.
 
#25 ·
i bought a gm 383 crate because it was a brand new i haven't run it yet but after spending the money, i have seen lot more from blue print for less money , and heard good things about blue print motors:flag6:
the GM 383 is different than most aftermarket as it has a special 3.800 stroke crankshaft. really good warranty too
 
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