Hey guys. I had to sell my baby a few years ago to build a house but I'm finally back w/ a new project. I just picked up a 94 Z from a salvage yard w/ a motor and trans for $1200. Body and interior are excellent but the previous owner blew the motor. Supposedly he pulled it, bought a used one, set in the cradle, and stopped. May possibly even have a rebuilt tranny. I'm looking for suggestions on where to start with this thing (in particularly is the motor any good???) I assume I need to prime the oil, turn it over a few times by hand, and maybe check the compression. Any suggestions? It's been a while since I've turned a wrench on one of these fine automobiles but I know I don't want to install the whole setup to find it's no good. I have a daily driver so I've finally got something I can juice up a little (maybe cam, headers, or any other suggestions!!!) Sorry for the long post but I'm kind of excited.... it's been a long time since I've had an f-body (at least it feels like it) Any advice is appreciated!!!

 

Welcome back man

Sounds like an excuse and opportunity to build exactly the motor you want before you even put it in the car What kind of budget to you have to play with? I bet even a budget stroker would be nice in a 94.

 

Thanks. My immediate budget would be about $2K to get at least get it on the road. Does that sound feasible?

 

I definitely like the idea of the budget stroker! What is a typical "budget" for motor only?

 

I am giving myself a $1000 to 1200 budget for a mild rebuild with home ported(I know, home porting sucks, no lecture needed) heads and a cam. that seems feasable for a very mild smoggable setup. fortunately you are not held down like I am(f%^&ing california smog)

 

I've seen kits (crank, rods, pistons) for $600-1000

Keep in mind, you get what you pay for.
Don't expect to run 18psi or 12:1 on non-forged unbalanced parts.

But, you'd get to say you have a 383 under the hood
And the advantage of some serious displacement and a long stroke.

 

Can anyone make a suggestion for some good stoker kits to look at? I'm sold if I can build one that's fairly reliable! I think it would be in my best interest to go through the motor while it's out since I don't know the history or condition.

 

Ok... after further research I understand a stroker is not right for me at this time. Just want to get the car back on the road on a budget but at least do the cam, headers, and possibly ported heads thing while it's easier. Would you recommend going through the entire motor before attempting any of this since I don't know the condition? Should I base this on what I see when I open it up or just go ahead and replace pistons, rods, etc... I know there's plenty of info on cam/headers available so I'll do some more homework. Hotcams seem to be the way to go. What should I watch for when I open up the motor?