Build you own ZL1 or buy ???

[rtj]

Kind of looking for some feedback.

$20K for a crate gm ZL1 (new production if they are still available). So I started looking at what it costs to buy the parts and the internet offered up this:

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His new parts list is $12K.

If that is correct, this looks like a bargain:



BMP aluminum 9.8 block
Ohio Crankshaft 4340 x 4.250 crank
Ohio Crankshaft h6385 H-beam rods
SRP dome pistons 10.5 compression
Erson hydraulic roller cam
COMP Cams premium hyd roller lifters
BMP 345 cnc aluminum heads
Harland Sharp aluminum rocker arms
Canton oil pan
Melling hv oil pump
Prosport SFI dampener
Quickfuel fx1050 carb
MSD ignition
Ohio Crankshaft billet valve covers

$15k with dyno tune.

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[rtj]

PT 1 history

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[69427]

Roll your own. It's almost always less expensive, you get exactly what you want, and it's satisfying every time you start it up, knowing you built it. The first start-up is particularly satisfying.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by 69427

Roll your own. It's almost always less expensive, you get exactly what you want, and it's satisfying every time you start it up, knowing you built it. The first start-up is particularly satisfying.

I let the machine shops do the lower end assembly work, I put on the heads and slip the cam in on the installed bearings.....

and yes, it is always nervous on fire up.....

[rtj]

Originally Posted by 69427

Roll your own. It's almost always less expensive, you get exactly what you want, and it's satisfying every time you start it up, knowing you built it. The first start-up is particularly satisfying.

You bought a gm aluminum block. What did the machining cost? When you were done, did you estimate of the cost?

[69427]

Originally Posted by rtj

You bought a gm aluminum block. What did the machining cost? When you were done, did you estimate of the cost?

Just going by memory here: I had the machine shop bore the cylinders, press the piston/rod assembly, and balance the rotating assembly. IIRC that was probably about $1200. My total cost for the engine (my labor was free) was about 11-12k IIRC.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by 69427

Just going by memory here: I had the machine shop bore the cylinders, press the piston/rod assembly, and balance the rotating assembly. IIRC that was probably about $1200. My total cost for the engine (my labor was free) was about 11-12k IIRC.

makes this 89 truck 350 look cheap, I bought out a kid's project about 20 years ago, had the machine shop assemble all the pieces, as the kid was going to assemble it himself....not ME, so it was all balanced and nice.....just wish I had a decent cam in it to start with, it was a POS ZZ9 cam from TPIS in Minnesota never again......had me hunting down an intermittent rough idle for quite some time....one second, smooth as silk, but most of the time it shook the car apart.....