name that motor

[region rat]

Is anyone out there old enough to remember the name of the iron version of the ZL-1?

We read about it in Hot Rod and bought one in 73 to go in a 69 SS. Just a brain teaser.

 

[dm62409]

L-88 was the same as ZL-1 , only with an iron block.

 

[61BUBBLE348]

I have a Hot Rod mag somewhere doing a road test on the L88 and ZL-1 Corvette and Camaro, I thought it was late 67 but I will dig it out and scan and post it. They claimed the rated HP at something like 435 HP but said the number was closer to 600HP, lets see how my memory is when I post the article.

 

[models916]

ZL-X was an iron mix of the L-88 and the ZL-1. Bought one from the parts department for a partnered 68 camaro drag car. Probably around 1970.

 

[dakota tom]

I have a L-88 iron head crate engine in a 1964 Impala.

 

[dakota tom]

I remember the LS-7 crate engines being called "heavy duty 454". Were the L-88s heavy duty 427?

 

[models916]

There were a couple of 427-425hp in the Chevy order book. L88 was most likely Heavy Duty to avoid the terminology of racing. One of the baddest of them was the L88 open chamber of 1969.

 

[dakota tom]

I did a bit of searching on the internet and it seams that ZLX is a Motion performance name for their engines that some other dealers also started using.
I got out my 1976 Chevrolet Power 2nd edition and photoed two pages.
The engine I have was first installed in a 1970 ss396 Chevelle by Rapp Chevrolet in Marion SD. Glenn Rapp still has the shop open and used cars there after GM pulled his franchise. Glenns father Al Rapp started with Chevrolet in 1932.
Glenn built and still operates Thunder Valley Dragway now in its 50th year.
The engine went from the Chevelle to the 64 Impala in the late 70s and I bought the Impala in 1984. Been sitting since the mid 90s in the shed here. My brother bought the Chevelle when the engine was pulled and now has its original matching number 325hp 396 in it. SLOW.

 

[61 Bubble]

Bob, it's the ZL-X. YES this was a Motion term.

From what I gathered, Motion used this to get the performance of the ZL-1 with the cost of the Al block. These were available in 427, 454 and 480 inch versions with either single or dual carbs on a tunnelram. Iron heads were the norm, but Alum heads were an option.

YES you could order, an Alum headed, tunnelramed with 2X4's, 480" BBc in 1971.

ZL-X 427 with the cast single made 650Hp

"Found this in my Motion Performance Guide (copyright 1976)

"ZL-X...427 cubic inches, 650HP, solid-lifter .585-605 PHASE III cam, choice of gear- drive injected, 850, 950, or 1050 cfm Holley carburation on reworked aluminum high-riser, cast iron open chamber heads with special 12.8 to 1 pistons, 69 L-88 blueprinted four-bolt main block. This is a very special M/P competition engine."

IMO, I believe this was a crate motor from GM that Motion tweaked on a little.

Similar to an iron head, open chamber L88 or ZL1 with a cam change and blue printing.

I believe the ZL-X iron open chamber heads were 026's available in late 70 or early 71 as an over the counter piece. They were replaced by the 990's around 72-73 and used till the mid 1990's.

The ZL-X heads were used on 427 and 454 engines according to this catalog."

 

[61 Bubble]

L-88 was the same as ZL-1 , only with an iron block.

I "think" the cam is actually a bit different too????

 

[dm62409]

Early L88, (67&68) were a .560-.580 lift cam, by 69 when the L88 & ZL-1 went to the open chamber heads the cam was improved to .580-.600 lift in both. Dur. & lobe separation changed slightly also. I bought one of the late L88-ZL-1 cams from GM new in 69 for my 427-425 in my 57 Chevy , & yes I had to machine the rear groove into the rear journal as the engine was a 66 vette. I still have an old listing for both of these cams, with part numbers .

 

[61 Bubble]

Thanks Dave. I'm "only" 50 so wasn't really ordering parts when I was 4/5. LOL I always thought the same thing, the L-88 and ZL-1 WERE the same. About a year ago, while working on my "052" block, 1969 ZL-1, the guys over on the Yenko site told me they were "slightly" different and the ZL-1 was a bit bigger. So I went with the info I got.

BUT the way you described it makes perfect sense that THE ORIGINAL L-88 cams were a bit smaller and that GM used the larger 2nd design in both the ZL-1 and L-88.

 

[61 Bubble]

Been trying to uplaod a pic of the ZL-1 but photobucket doesn't like it??? Other pictures are fine, just any of the assembled ZL won't load?

 

[wrench]

Rename the file with something 409 in it.



Seriously, though...it may be the wrong picture format or simply too large.

 

[61BUBBLE348]

I was a bit out, July 69 issue of Popular Hot Rodding

 

[61 Bubble]

Thanks, resizing worked!
1969 ZL-1 getting ready to hit the dyno:

Were hoping to make some good power with it, even though it's "mostly" GM parts.
No Dave, this one DOESN'T have the L-88/ZL-1 cam!

 

[skipxt4]

 

[Skip FIx]

Intake was a little different I believe the ZL-1 had the divider cut down.

 

[61 Bubble]

Intake was a little different I believe the ZL-1 had the divider cut down.

Yes ZL-! and L-88 used the "198" intakes with the notch in the divider. So they shared that but my mistake was my info on the L-88 cam that was used in the early ones that was smaller then the later L-88/ZL-1 engine.