crate motor

[Harmon C.]

I have Corvette with a crate motor and on the pad is stamped V0831ZZ3. Can the type of crate motor be told by this number?

[Patrick H.]

Re: crate motor

Ah, sure sounds like a ZZ3 crate motor to me, but what do I know.

Are you sure that for you it's not a Z-73?

Patrick

[Harmon C.]

Re: crate motor

Patrick I think when I seen GM crate motors at swap meets their were lots of choices as to the horsepower output and the person I got it from didn't install it. Lyle

[Joe L.]

Re: crate motor

Lyle----

It's a ZZ-3 crate engine manufactured on August 31 of the year indicated by the block casting date. This one was manufactured at Flint which is where all ZZ3 engines were manufactured (but, not where all ZZ4 engines were/are manufactured).

The ZZ3 was manufactured from January, 1993 through September, 1996 (so, I'll bet that the casting year for this block will be in the 1993 to 1996 range). It has Corvette L-98 aluminum heads and 4 bolt, one piece rear seal block. It has forged 1053 steel crank, forged rods, hypereuctectic cast pistons, and hydraulic roller camshaft.

It was available under GM #10185072 and produces 345 gross hp @ 5,200 RPM and 387 ft/lbs of torque @ 3250 RPM.

[Paul E. Young]

Re: crate motor

Lyle, I have a ZZ2 crate motor in my El Camino w/ about 50k miles and it is a great motor that gets 18-22 mpg and makes the Elk fly. I'll take it off your hands if you want. Paul

[Patrick H.]

Re: crate motor

Lyle,

The last 3 digits, the ZZ3, show it is a 345hp version of the 350 crate motor, as per Joe's post.

The ZZ3 acronym is so common that I "assumed" that you knew what a ZZ3 was. Right now they're on to ZZ4 (see link below). It's a great motor, and if you bought it right because someone didn't know what it was, you did well. For years it was the top-of-the-line crate small block. It's only recently that small block crate motors have diversified, especially with the advent of the Vortec heads.

Type "ZZ3" in your browser and see how it's been used in Corvettes, street rods, and everything else.

Patrick




ZZ4 crate motor

[Harmon C.]

Re: crate motor

Paul It's in a 81 corvette I now have and wanted to know what it was as I will probably take it to spring corvette Expo in Knoxville. Lyle

[Harmon C.]

Re: crate motor

Patrick I never knew about crate motors as I have allways only bought Corvettes with original motors. Thanks Lyle

[Harmon C.]

Re: crate motor

Thanks Joe I had a hard time getting the rust off the pad but getting the year should be easy. Thanks again! Lyle

[Gary S.]

Re: crate motor

So, I guess we started with ZZ2 engines, then ZZ3 engines, and now ZZ4 engines. When we get to the end of the production we will have??? ZZ Top engines? Sorry! Not - couldn't resist with my sick humor.
Gary

[Jim T.]

Re: crate motor

Actually the first was a ZZZ 350 crate engine and there was a ZZ1 and ZZ2. The ZZZ and the ZZ1 came with a high rise aluminum intake similiar to the LT-1 aluminum intake with square bore carb mounting flange. The ZZ2-ZZ4 have a different lower intake with a spreadbore carb type mounting flange. This change provided more hood clearance and provided for the use of the Q-Jet carb or a Holley spread bore. The ZZZ-ZZ3 engines used the same rods as the LT-1 (pink rod). The ZZ4 uses powder metal rods. Timing on the engines is 10 degrees BTDC with vacuum advance disconnected/plugged. I put a new ZZ1 in my 70 years ago and I do like its performance.