After 160K+miles I figure its time to freshen up the bottom end of my 1992 Trans Am. The car still pulls 14.1's at 101 pretty much stock but I'd like to swap it for piece of mind. The stock GM lower end has held up for this long to quite a beating so I figure why not stick with it. I was looking at rebuild shops, but I can't picture a mom and pop rebuild lasting another 160K. Anyway $1,100 seems like a decent deal. Planning on sticking a ZZ4 cam in and porting the heads while I am at it. Should I go with the steel head gaskets for more compression?What does everybody think? I know the ZZ4 partial engine is another good deal, but it is quite a bit more money to spend on a daily driver.



http://www.sdpc2000.com/cart.asp?ac...tid=514&pid=620

 

LIke SDPC quotes, you get a brand new L98 2 Bolt main bottom end for a little over $1100. Stepping up to a Vortec bottom end will be $1500 but it will have 4 bolt mains and probably newer style rods. Then a ZZ4 bottom end is $2000, and a 383 bottom end is $3200, blah blah blah... They'll all make the same amount of power with your stock heads and a ZZ4 cam with the 383 making a LITTLE bit more TQ and horsepower overall. Is it worth the extra $1700? Of course not. That $1700 could be spent on a VERY nice set of AFR heads to compliment the ZZ4 cam you're talking about.

Yes I would do the steel shim as a gasket to raise compression, maybe even decking the block and milling the heads also. I think stock L98 compression is 9.3:1 and with the decking, milling of the heads and that gasket, you'll be very close to 10:1, after doing that I'd run NO LESS than premium fuel. If you do any head work to your stock heads, a valvejob and pocket porting is on top of the list as best things to do, after that I'd have the combustion chambers polished to also help eliminate any pre-ignition from the added compression. You'll be good to go after that man and you'll be making some good power also!

GM L98 shortblock all the way man unless you want to make 400+hp and possibly tickle her with a small nitrous hit(which I would do NO DOUBT...) which then I'd say do the $1500 Vortec L31 bottom end....later man

 

The Felpro 1094 is the shim/gasket Im using, its fine on the street, i think its .015" compressed.